Something's Not Right
by Heidi13
Summary: Will wakes up to find Sonny missing. Where could he possibly be? DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters in this story. All rights belong to NBC and Days of Our Lives.
1. Chapter 1

It has been a long time since I have written a short story. I am a huge Days and Wilson fan. Since I had some free time I figured I would give this a shot. It is probably going to be completely terrible. Just warning you in advance :)

* * *

Will was startled awake. Something didn't feel right. He rolled over in bed, reaching out for his boyfriend.

"Babe?" Will called out.

Sonny wasn't there. His side of the bed still made. Will shot up in bed. Looking for something that indicated Sonny was home. No jacket. No keys. No cellphone.

"Sonny?" Will yelled out.

Will's heart started to race. He looked over at the clock, it read 1 am. Will had fallen asleep studying for his economics test the following morning. _Where are you Sonny? Why aren't you home?_ Will thought. Will shot up out of bed, searching for his phone. He needed to hear Sonny's voice to make sure everything was ok. He called Sonny's phone and it went straight to voicemail.

"Babe. It's me. It's 1 am and you're not home. I'm worried. Please call me back or come home!" Will said with desperation in his voice.

Uneasiness begins to build in Will's chest. He knows something is wrong. This isn't like Sonny to be out late and not call. Will starts thumbing through his contacts calling anyone that might know where Sonny is. Neil, Dustin, Kareem, Tyler, Abby, Brian. No one has seen or heard from him all day.

Will calls up Chad, "Hey. It's Will. You don't happen to know where Sonny is, do you?"

"I haven't seen him since I left the coffeehouse. That was around 3. Why? What's up?" Chad asks.

"He hasn't come home. And I can't seem to get ahold of him. It just goes straight to voicemail. He didn't mention anything to you about doing something after work?" Will replies.

"No, man. Sorry. I'm sure it's nothing. But I'll see if I can track him down. Let me call Lauren. She was closing with Sonny tonight." Chad says.

"Thanks. I'd appreciate that. I'm sure I'm just overreacting." Will says, unconvincingly.

Will doesn't know what to do. He can't just sit here and wait. He reluctantly calls Justin and Adrienne, not wanting to worry or wake them up.

"Hey, Mr. Kirakis. It's Will.

"Uh. Hey Will. It's kind of late. What's up?" Answered Justin.

"You wouldn't happen to know where Sonny is, would you?" Will replied.

"No. I haven't seen him since lunch. Why?" asked Justin.

"Oh, I'm sure it's nothing. He just hasn't come home and I can't get ahold of him. I'm just worried." Will replied.

"Hmmm. I don't know, Will. I'm sorry. I'll see if I can get ahold of him," said Justin.

Will hangs up the phone. He is starting to become frantic. As much as he tries to convince himself that he is just overreacting, there's this nagging feeling that something is terribly wrong. Will quickly gets dressed and decides to start looking for Sonny. He decides to start at the coffeehouse, since that was the last place anyone has seen him.

Will's phone rings. "Sonny? Is that you? Hello?" Will frantically says.

"No, man. It's me," replies Chad.

"Oh," Will said disappointed.

"I just got off the phone with Lauren," Chad said. "She said that Sonny let her leave early, since it was slow. And that he would just close up by himself. She said she left around 9:30. But everything seemed fine when she left."

"Oh," replied Will. "Thanks for asking. I think I will just head over to the coffeehouse and see if he's still there. "

"Ok, man," said Chad. "Let me know what you find out."

Will arrives at the coffeehouse and the lights are still on. _That's odd. _Will thought. He also sees the front door is slightly ajar. Will's heart starts to race. Something isn't right here. He begins to take shaky steps towards the door, afraid of what lies on the other side. He can feel the blood draining from his body as he grabs the door handle. He can barely breathe. He takes one last shaky breath before he pulls the door open. His eyes quickly scan the coffeehouse, looking for Sonny. Will is hoping that Sonny isn't in here.

There are tables and chairs lying on their sides. Coffee grounds and mugs on the floor. Cash register is open. _Oh, God_ Will thought. _Sonny please be ok. Please say you weren't here when this happened. _Will pulls out his phone and calls his grandpa Roman to tell him that it looks like someone broke into Common Grounds and he can't seem to get ahold of Sonny.

"Will," says Roman. "I'm on my way. You need to get out of there, I don't want you to disturb the possible crime scene."

"No, grandpa," replies Will. "I have to make sure Sonny isn't here."

Will enters Sonny's office and is about to hang up the phone when his heart drops.

"Oh, God!" Will screams. "NO! Sonny!"

Will drops his phone and falls to his knees.


	2. Chapter 2

Will falls to his knees and crawls over to where Sonny is laying. There is a small pool of blood near his head. He lays a shaky hand on his head and run his fingers through Sonny's hair. Tears streaming down his face.

"Baby?" Will whispers. "Can you hear me? Please say something. Baby?"

Will places his other hand on the back of Sonny's head, where he sees blood. He carefully lifts Sonny's head to rest on his lap. The blood is still sticky. Will hears Sonny take a shallow, shaky breath.

"Will?" Sonny groans out with a grimace.

Will sighs with relief at hearing his boyfriend's voice. "Baby, I'm right here," Will whispers back, while he continues to run his fingers through Sonny's hair.

A few minutes later Will hears Roman yell,"Will? Where are you?"

"Grandpa?" Will shouts. "I'm back here. In Sonny's office. Come quick!"

Roman races to follow Will's voice. Roman sees Will's clothes stained with Sonny's blood. Sonny's head is resting on Will's lap.

"Oh, God," grunts Roman.

"I need an ambulance to Common Grounds coffeehouse. STAT." Roman yells immediately into his transceiver. "There has been a break in. Young male is unconscious with a head injury. He has shallow respirations."

Roman places two fingers on the inside of Sonny's wrist, feeling for a pulse. "With a faint radial pulse."

"They are on their way," is radio'd back to Roman.

"Now Will. Tell me what happened." Roman says.

"Grandpa," Will begins, speaking quickly and keeping his eyes locked on Sonny. "I don't know. I woke up because something didn't feel right. And I found that Sonny never came home. I got worried and started calling around. No one had heard from him. So, I came here. That's when I called you. I found him like this."

"Will, can you come with me. EMT's are on their way and I need you to tell me everything you know and saw. Every detail is important in finding out who did this."

"No. I am not going to leave him," whispers Will, giving his grandpa a steely eyed gaze. "I'm not going anywhere. I am staying right here with my boyfriend."

"Will," Roman says exasperated. "I don't want you to ruin any evidence or hurt Sonny anymore than he already is. We don't know the extent of his injuries. He could have a spinal cord injury, for all we know."

Will looks up at his grandpa with tear filled eyes and sighs, "I don't want to hurt him, grandpa. I love him."

Will begrudgingly places Sonny's head gently back down and begins to stroke his cheek, gently. Will places the hand that was behind his head and grabs Sonny's hand. Will immediately feels Sonny's grip tighten and Will squeezes back.

"Sonny? Baby," Will cries. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. Can you please open those beautiful brown eyes for me? Please."

The EMT's come rushing into Sonny's office.

"Will," Roman says. "Come stand next to me. Let them do their job, so we can get Sonny to the hospital."

Will doesn't want to let go of Sonny, but he does what he's told. He walks into his grandpa's arms and just starts sobbing.

"Commissioner?" Asked the EMT. "What's going on here?"

"This is my grandson's boyfriend. He found him like this a few minutes ago. We don't know much more than that, Josh."

Josh and his partner, Anthony, check for a pulse and respirations. Once those are confirmed, they secure a neck brace around Sonny's neck. They logroll him onto his left side, making sure to keep his spinal cord aligned. Anthony grabs the backboard and they roll Sonny onto his back on the backboard. They lift Sonny onto the gurney and fasten him in. Josh places a gloved hand over the open wound on the back of Sonny's head and they begin to wheel him out.

Will watches, horrified, as the EMT's race past him with Sonny.

"Sonny's going to be ok, grandpa. Isn't he?"

"I sure hope so," Roman laments. "I sure hope so."

"Who would do this to Sonny, grandpa?" Will cries. "Why him?"

Roman shakes his head and says sadly, "I have no clue, William. I have no clue."

As they are walking out of Sonny's office, Will's eyes grow wide and tears start streaming down his face. _How did I not see this before?_ He looks over at his grandpa, who is seeing the same thing. Whoever had done this to Sonny, had vandalized the coffeehouse. "Go away, Fags. You are disgusting. No one wants you here." was plastered all over the shop.

Will looks at his grandpa with tear filled eyes and sees tears slipping out of Roman's eyes.

"Why, Grandpa?" Will's voice quivers. He looks at Roman with wide, tear-stained eyes, "Why?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for all of your kind words. I am so flattered that you like the story! I appreciate all your feedback. Please keep it coming! :)**

* * *

Will arrives at the hospital with Roman and walks up to the nurses desk.

"Hi. I'm looking for Jackson Kiriakis."

"It looks like he arrived a couple of minutes ago," the nurse tells Will.

"Can I see him?" He asks.

"What is your relation to him?" She asks.

"I'm his boyfriend," Will replies.

"I'm sorry," she says. "But only family is allowed to see him at this point. You can have a seat in the waiting room, if you like."

"But…." Will begs. "His family isn't here. I am. Please let me see him."

"I'm sorry," she repeats. "But those are the rules. If his family allows it, you can see him. But we have to have their permission first. Are they on their way?"

Tears spill out of Will's eyes as he nods his head yes. He looks over at his grandpa, who is frowning. Roman steps forward to the nurse's station.

"I'm Commissioner Brady," he says. "And I would like to see Mr. Kiriakis."

"I'm sorry, sir," the nurse says. "But he is still unconscious. No one is allowed in there, but his immediate family."

Exasperated, they both walk into the waiting room. Roman had called Justin to fill them in on what he knows, while Will called Chad to do the same. Chad agreed to make some calls and notify everyone else.

Justin, Adrienne, Victor, and Maggie all showed up 15 minutes later. As soon as Will sees Sonny's parents, he gets up and runs to them.

"Have you heard anything?" Will asks. "They won't let me see him, because I'm not family. They also won't tell me anything."

Justin looks at Will gravely. "They had to take him into emergency surgery. They believe he was hit in the back of the head with some sort of blunt object. They did a CT scan of his brain. It appears to them that the object crushed a part of his skull."

Will is staring at Justin blankly. He is having trouble processing all of this information. "So, what is the surgery for?"

"Well, for one, he lost a lot of blood," Justin says. "They also need to see if there is any damage to the brain. Make sure no bone fragments are embedded. And put a plate in his skull where the bone was shattered."

"How long will all of this take?"

"They said probably 4 or 5 hours. You can go home, if you like. We'll call you if we find anything else out."

Will shakes his head. "I'm not going anywhere. I promised him."

Will sees Chad and Abby come running into the waiting room.

"How is he?" Chad and Abby say together.

Abby notices Will's bloodshot eyes with tears running down his face. She hugs Will and starts sobbing.

"As I was just telling Will," Justin starts. "Sonny will be in surgery for a couple of hours. You guys don't need to stay. We will let you know when we know something."

"No," the three say in unison. "We're staying."

Justin smiles at them. He goes to sit next to his wife. He hugs her to his chest as she continues to sob. Abby, Chad, and Will sit across from them. Abby's holding both Will and Chad's hands. Chad keeps staring blankly ahead, confused.

"How could this happen?" Chad asks himself, as tears slide down his face.


	4. Chapter 4

Will, Chad, and Abby are asleep on the couch in the waiting room. Adrienne's head is resting on Justin's shoulder and he has his arm on her back, rubbing to help soothe her. Neither one of them could sleep until they knew what was going on with their son. Every hour someone came out to talk to them. But they never got any real report. Just that Sonny was stable and everything was going as expected.

"What does that even mean?" Adrienne asks Justin.

"Sweetie," Justin frowns. "I have no clue."

Maggie and Victor had decided to go home, but they planned on being back later. John and Marlena came to support Will, Justin, and Adrienne, but left around 3am. Sami, Lucas, Jennifer, and Hope had also come by to show their support. Roman decided to go home along with the rest of them, but he would be back in the morning to start questioning Will, Chad, and Lauren for any information. Roman had sent two detectives to the coffeehouse to collect evidence and DNA to start the investigation. As of right now, it is being considered a hate crime.

After 8 hours, the doctor comes into the waiting room wishing to speak with Adrienne and Justin. They were pulled into a conference room, while the other three remained sleeping.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kiriakis," he starts. "I'm Dr. Smith. I am the neurosurgeon that took care of your son."

"Thank you, Dr. Smith," they replied. "How is our son doing?"

"Well, he made it through surgery. His blood pressure dipped during surgery. So, we want to keep an eye on that. We also had to give him 4 units of blood. There didn't seem to be any damage to the brain tissue when we got in there, but we won't know anything for sure until he wakes up. We had to remove quite a bit of bone fragments that were imbedded in the tissue. We were able to successfully place the plate on his skull, which is secured in place with small screws. Right now, we just have to keep a close eye on him. Monitoring for improvements or worsening of his condition."

"Ok," Justin replies. "So, when can we see him?"

"Well, they are getting him situated in the ICU at the moment," Dr. Smith tells them. "But he won't be able to have visitors for another 2 hours. We want to make sure he's stable first. I do have to warn you of what you will see when you do see him. He is on a ventilator that is helping him breathe. Hopefully in the next few days we can start weaning him off. He is also heavily sedated. We have both arms in restraints, so that he doesn't try to pull out the breathing tube. We are giving him nutrition through one IV. He also has another one for pain medications, antibiotics, and fluids. He may also need more blood, but we won't be able to determine that until we get all of his labs back. He has a white bandage around the top of his head. He may also appear swollen, which should do down in the next couple of days. Do you have any questions?"

"How many visitors are allowed to see him?" Justin asks, as tears stain his cheeks.

"As of right now, we only want immediate family," the doctor replies. " We will see how he is doing in the next 24 hours and determine if he can have more visitors. Also, no one that is sick is allowed near him without a mask. He will be in room 1114. You can go up there in 2 hours. Again, family only, for the time being."

"When do you think he will wake up?" Adrienne asks.

"Well," the doctor begins. "If he wakes up, it won't be for a few days to weeks. His body has to recuperate from the trauma. So it may take some time. But there is the possibility that he won't wake up."

Adrienne chokes back tears. "Thank you, doctor. For everything."

The doctor nods and excuses himself.

Justin and Adrienne stand up and return to the waiting room, where Chad, Abby and Will are awake. They look expectantly at Justin and Adrienne, waiting for answers.

"How are we going to tell them that they can't see Sonny?" Adrienne whispers to Justin.

Justin frowns, puts his arm around Adrienne, and shakes his head. "I don't know. But Will is going to be devastated."

Justin fills in the three about everything Dr. Smith told them.

"So," Will starts, staring intently at Sonny's parents. "When do we get to see Sonny?"

Justin looks gravely at Will. "I'm sorry, Will. But they said family only, for the time being."

"What?" Will shrieks. "I can't see Sonny?"

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Adrienne says. "But the doctor said that may change after the first 24 hours, depending on how Sonny is doing."

"No!" Will proclaims. He looks at Justin and Adrienne. His body is shaking and tears are welling up in his eyes.

"I promised him," Will whispers. "I told him I wasn't going anywhere. That I would never leave his side. What is he going to think if I'm not there when he wakes up?"

Justin looks at Will sadly. "He most likely won't wake up in the next 24 hours, Will. The doctor said it could be a few days to weeks."

"But what if he does and I'm not there. He needs me. Sonny needs me," Will pleads.

Will begins to sob. Abby tries to comfort Will as he is shaking.

"He is in room 1114. We will call you as soon as we find out when he can have more visitors," Justin tells Will, sadly.

Will looks at Justin with glassy eyes. "I'm not leaving this hospital without Sonny by my side."

Justin nods his head and has a slight smile on his face. "OK, Will."


	5. Chapter 5

Justin and Adrienne went home to shower and change clothes. Then headed to the Pub for an early lunch. They ate in silence, holding each others hands across the table. They were exhausted from the past 12 hours and still in shock at all that had transpired. They were seated in the back corner, hoping no one would bother them with questions about Sonny. They didn't want to have to keep reliving the last day. Maggie had become the designated person to keep everyone informed. By the time they finished eating, two hours had elapsed and they could go see Sonny.

Justin and Adrienne went to the nurse's station to ask if they could see him yet. Maxine was working and ushered them in.

"Now remember," Maxine said. "Sonny isn't going to look like himself. Seeing him hooked up to everything may seem quite scary. But be strong for him. Let him know that you are here. He can still hear you. Don't be scared to touch him, either. If you have any questions, just let me know."

Justin and Adrienne nod their heads and Maxine opens the door to Sonny's room. Adrienne's breath catches in her throat when she sees her baby boy hooked up to all of the wires and tubes. She starts crying and Justin hugs her to his chest, rubbing her back in an attempt to console her.

Sonny's arms are laid at his side. There are cuffs on his wrist that are tied to the bed, so he doesn't try to pull on anything. His arms lay on top of the white sheet covering him. His skin almost matching the color of the sheet. His chest is exposed with multiple wires connected to his chest to monitor his heart. There is a bag on the side of his bed used to collect his output. One arm is getting a yellow fluid through the IV, which is his nutrition. The other arm is getting 2 types of fluids. There is a blood pressure cuff on his arm that goes off every 15 minutes. There is a big machine sitting next to the bed that is hooked up to the tube going into Sonny's mouth. His chest rises and falls symmetrically and rhythmically. The top half of his head is covered with a white bandage. His face is so swollen, Adrienne and Justin can barely recognize him.

Justin tries to soothe Adrienne, who keeps sobbing and saying, "My baby. My baby."

"You can do this," Justin whispers to Adrienne. "We have to be strong for Sonny. He needs us now more than ever."

Adrienne tries to pull herself together, for Sonny. They walk over to the bed, hand in hand.

Adrienne grabs Sonny's hand. "Baby. Mama's here."

"Son," Justin chokes out. "We're here. Everyone is so worried about you. Will, Chad, and Abby spent the night here hoping to see you. Alex, Joey, and Vic are trying to get home. We talked to them last night while you were in surgery. They're worried about you and so are we. There are so many people who love you and have been praying for you to get better. So, we need you to fight."

Justin can no longer hold back the tears and they start flowing. Adrienne lays her head against Justin's shoulder and squeezes his hand tightly.

"Our boy," Adrienne whispers. "He's a fighter. He's going to come back to us."

Justin is able to compose himself after a couple of minutes. He and Adrienne continue to talk to Sonny about anything they can think of. To let him know that they are here.

Will is outside the room, looking in through the window. Tears roll down his cheek as he sees Sonny laying there. He feels so helpless. He just wants to be in there with him. Holding him. Comforting him. It is killing him to see Sonny like this. _Why couldn't it be me? Sonny doesn't deserve this_, he thinks. Will watches as Justin and Adrienne talk to Sonny. Adrienne is holding Sonny's hand, while Justin has his arm around her waist. Will just wants to be by Sonny's side.

Will remembers back when Sonny said that same sentiment to him. _I just want to be by your side_. A fresh wave of angst takes over Will and he crumbles to the ground, sobbing. _Sonny is a better person than me. I should be in that bed. Not him. He doesn't deserve this. He is the best person I know. I can't lose him. I won't lose him_, he thinks as his body convulses with the pain.

Will stands up and composes himself. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and walks over to some empty chairs.

"Hey. It's Will," he says. "Will you meet me at the hospital. We need to talk. I want whoever did this to Sonny to pay."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much for such a positive response to this story. All of the comments have been so sweet and encouraging. I loved the idea of getting away from the current storyline and having the boys have their own. To me, it has been apparent that Sonny's feelings are stronger than Will's. So I thought it would be interesting to delve into Will figuring out just what Sonny means to him. Thank you again for all the kind words! :)**

* * *

Will looks up at the man approaching him. "Finally," he says.

"William, what is this all about?"

Will points in the direction of Sonny's room. "That is what it is all about."

"Explain."

Will tells the entire story.

"They went after him because he is gay. That we are gay. And if I wait for grandpa Roman to get this done, we may be waiting for a long time. I want justice. Now."

"William, what makes you think I can help you?"

"Come on, EJ. I worked for you. I know how you operate. I know about your connections. Don't play dumb with me. They went after the man I love and I won't settle until I bring that son of a bitch down."

"Now, now, William. Calm down. I will see what I can do."

"Calm down? How the hell can I calm down," Will yells.

EJ places his hands on Will's shoulders and whispers, "I will fix this. Don't you worry."

EJ saunters off, as Will watches him leave. For the first time in the last 12 hours, Will feels like he has gained a little bit of control over his life. _I'm going to protect you, Sonny. Even if it's the last thing I do._

"Will?"

Will looks up to see his grandpa headed his way. "Oh, hey, grandpa."

"Did I just see EJ leaving?" Roman asks.

"Uh, yeah. He came to, uh, check on Sonny."

"Really? Ok. Are you up to telling me what happened last night?"

"Sure, grandpa. But can you tell me how the investigation is going first?"

"Will. You know I can't discuss police business with you."

"I know. But this is about Sonny. I need to know what is going on."

"Fine. We have gathered evidence. We are still searching for the assault weapon. We also have to go through all the security videos. We were able to gather some fingerprints, but the coffeehouse is a busy place. We aren't sure how relevant the fingerprints are."

"Oh, ok, " Will replies. Will fills Roman in on the events leading up to his search for Sonny. He tells Roman everyone he called while searching for him. What he saw when he arrived at the coffeehouse. When he found Sonny.

"Will any of this help?" Will asks.

"Any information can help. Was there anyone around when you arrived at the coffeehouse?"

"No. Not that I noticed. I just saw the lights on and the door ajar. That's it. Lauren was the last person to see Sonny. She probably has the most information."

"Who's Lauren?" Roman asks.

"One of their employees at the coffeehouse. Chad called her that night for me. She said Sonny let her leave early. They were supposed to close up together."

"Thanks, Will. How is Sonny doing?"

"I don't know, grandpa," Will says with his voice cracking. "They won't let me see him because I'm not family. It's killing me, grandpa. I just want to be there for him. To let him know that I'm here."

Roman looks at Will, sadly. "I understand. I will see what I can do."

"Thanks," Will whispers, hugging his grandpa.

Justin and Adrienne come out of Sonny's room. Will races over to them.

"How is Sonny?" Will asks.

Justin looks at Will, confused. "What are you doing here, Will?"

"I told you," Will replied. "I'm not going anywhere without Sonny. I am not leaving this hospital until Sonny can."

Justin looks at Will with exhaustion in his eyes. "Well, he is stable. But other than that, we really don't know anything more."

"Can I see him yet? Please!" Will begs.

Justin looks around for Maxine, to get permission. He doesn't see her, but does see Dr. Jonas.

"Daniel?" Justin asks. "Is Sonny stable enough for Will to go see him?"

"Let me check."

Daniel pulls out Sonny's chart and reviews it. He begins to frown.

"Justin, he's only been on the floor for a few hours."

"I know," Will interjects. "But he needs me and I need him. Please."

"It does look like he has remained stable," Daniel says, looking at Will. "I guess it couldn't hurt. But if anything changes for the worse, then you will have to leave."

"THANK YOU!" Will shrieks. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Remember," Justin says, putting his hands on Will's shoulders. "be careful. He doesn't look like himself. He's hooked up to a lot of things. But I know he needs you."

"Ok," Will says. He smiles, "Thank you!"

Will walks shakily towards Sonny's room. He didn't realize how scared he was to see him. He was trying to prepare himself. _Will, you have to be strong for him._ Will keeps repeating to himself. He slowly opens the door and tears well up in his eyes. He is frozen in place. He looks at Sonny, feeling so completely helpless. It was different being in the room with him and the wires and the machines. The continuous beeping. The sound of the machine helping him breathe. The ticking of the IVs. And Sonny. Just laying there. Motionless. His chest rising and falling. Tubes and wires covering his body. His golden skin turned to a pasty white. His eyes swollen shut. His arms pinned down. He can barely recognize him. It was too much for Will. He couldn't stand seeing Sonny like this. _Remember, you have to be strong_, Will tells himself. He takes a deep breath and walks forward. He grabs a chair and places it next to Sonny's bed, right by his head.

"Hey, Baby," Will starts. He runs one hand over the side of Sonny's face and grabs his hand with the other. "I told you I wasn't going anywhere. I don't ever plan to leave your side. Baby, I love you so much. How could this have happened to you?"

Will starts crying. All he wants is to see his boyfriend's beautiful smile. To see his beautiful brown eyes staring back at him. He wants to hold him. But he can only look at him helplessly. Look at this body that is supposed to be his beautiful boyfriend, but he is unrecognizable.

"I'm trying to be strong for you," Will whispers. "But you were always the strong one. You are the one who always has the right words to say. I was never good with words. I was never good at much. I don't know what to say to make things better. You always did. You always know what to say to make me feel better, to comfort me."

Will places a kiss on Sonny's eyes. Then his nose, cheeks, shoulders. He needs to feel Sonny's skin on his. He is fighting every urge to crawl in bed and hold his boyfriend. To hear his heart beat. To feel his chest rise and fall.

"Sonny," Will chokes out, his voice full of pain and anguish. "I love you so much. I didn't know happiness until you. You complete me in every sense of the word. You make me a better person. You make me proud to be me. My life means nothing without you. I need you to wake up. I need you to be ok. I don't know what I will do if anything happens to you. I hate seeing you like this. I would give anything to trade place with you."

Will feels Sonny's hand tighten around his. Fresh tears fall from Will's eyes.

"Sonny?" Will asks. "Baby? Can you hear me?"

Will looks down at their hands intertwined. Hoping to see something that shows that Sonny is here with him. That Sonny can hear him. But there is nothing.

"Please," Will sobs. "Sonny, I need you to wake up. You are my strength. You make me feel strong when I begin to feel weak. You are the strong one, not me. I don't know how to be strong without you by my side. You make me feel like a whole person. You have made me realize that I am good enough for you. And I want to continue to prove that to you, my love."

Will hears the door open and Dr. Jonas walks in.

Daniel smiles at Will. "I hear love makes the weakest strong."

Will looks up at the doctor and smiles weakly. "I'm not the strong one. That's Sonny."

"But he makes you strong or else you wouldn't be sitting here."

Will looks down and whispers, "I guess."

Daniel places a hand on Will's shoulder and gives him a warm smile. "Just continue loving him. He can hear you. Be strong for him."

"I could never stop loving him. I didn't know happiness until Sonny. And I'm sure as hell not ready to lose the most important thing in my life. He is my life."

Daniel gets choked up by what Will's just said. There is such love and devotion behind the young Horton's words. Love that is far more mature than his young age. There is so much love there that it leaves the doctor speechless.

"I'm never going to leave his side. He needs me as much as I need him."

Daniel nods his head and begins to leave the room. He gets to the door and turns around. Daniel looks Will in the eyes and says, "No one can ask for more than that. If you have any questions or need anything, let us know."

Will nods his head and thanks the doctor. He turns his attention back to Sonny. He pulls the railing down that is closest to Sonny's head and rest his head on his boyfriend's shoulder while sitting on his knees in the chair. Will's fingers remain intertwined with Sonny's. As uncomfortable as he is, being next to Sonny always makes him feel better. As long as Sonny is next to him, Will feels like everything will be ok. He needs to feel Sonny's body heat radiating against his skin. He needs to hear the sound of Sonny's breathing. He needs to hear Sonny's heart beating in his chest. Only then does he feel ok. Only then will he feel safe.


	7. Chapter 7

"Is there anyone you can think of that would want to hurt Sonny?" Roman asks Justin and Adrienne.

They look at each other and say in unison, "No!"

"Did Sonny ever mention anything about someone harassing him?"

"No."

"Do you know anyone that has a problem with his, or Will's, sexual orientation?"

"Sonny had a problem with T," Justin answers. "But that was awhile ago. Sonny said that he actually helped him and Will get together. But that's the only person I know of."

"Ok," Roman says. "Thanks for answering those questions. If you can think of anything at all that might help with the investigation let me know."

Justin and Adrienne nod and Roman excuses himself.

"Who would want to do this to our baby boy?" Adrienne asks Justin as Roman walks away.

* * *

"When was the last time you saw Sonny?" Roman asks.

"He came to relieve me around 3pm yesterday," answered Chad.

"Was there anyone suspicious around at that time?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Did Sonny say anything to you about being harassed?"

"Uh…Not that I can recall."

"Has anyone come into the coffeehouse demonstrating aggressive behavior towards Sonny? Or verbalized a disdain for his sexual orientation?"

"Outside of Nick and Gabi? Not that I can think of. What does Sonny being gay have to do with any of this?"

"Have you been to the coffeehouse since the incident?" Roman asked.

"I tried, but they wouldn't let me come in. I was told it was a crime scene. Why? What's going on?"

Roman sighed. "The coffeehouse was vandalized with gay slurs and hate comment."

"WHAT?" Chad shouted. "You are kidding me, right?"

Chad was furious and started pacing. He started talking to himself. "Who the hell would do something like this? I can't believe it. When I find out who is responsible, there is going to be hell to pay."

"Chad," Roman yells, grabbing his arm. "Calm down. So, you have no clue who could've done this?"

"No," Chad says, staring at Roman with fire in his eyes. "But when I find out…."

"Chad," Roman says with authority. "You need to stay out of this. Let us handle it. We will track down who did this."

"Like hell I will!" Chad yells and walked away.

* * *

Roman spoke to Sonny and Will's friends. Getting no more answers than before. Roman was hoping for something to open the case up and provide some clues about who was behind this.

"When did you last see Sonny?" Roman asked.

"Well," Abby started. "I dropped by the coffeehouse yesterday around 7 to see my cousin. But he was yelling at some guy. I think he was trying to kick him out. I'd never seen him that angry before. I figured it was best to just leave."

"You saw him arguing with a customer?" Roman asked.

"I guess it was a customer. I'm not really sure. Sonny just seemed really angry."

"What was Sonny and this guy arguing about?"

"Well, I didn't hang around long. But Sonny was saying something about not speaking about him like that. And if he had a problem he could leave and never come back. That they didn't want to serve ignorant people like him anyways."

"So, this guy had a problem with Sonny being gay?" Roman asked.

"I guess so. But I can't be sure. Like I said, I didn't stick around to hear the rest of the conversation."

"And you have no clue who this guy was? What about what he looked like?" Roman asked.

"Well, he looked familiar. But I couldn't place where I've seen him before. Maybe he goes to school with us."

"Do you think you could describe what he looked like?"

"I didn't get a great look at him, but I can tell you what I did see."

"Do you think you could identify him if you saw him?"

"Yeah. I think so. Like I said, he looked familiar."

"Would you mind giving a description to the sketch artist of what you do remember?"

"Of course!" Abby exclaimed. "Anything to help."

"Thanks for your help, Abigail. Go to the station as soon as you can."

"I will."

* * *

Roman was finally able to track down Lauren and find out what she knew about the incident last night. She verified the argument that Abby had mentioned. Lauren had seen the whole thing.

"Yeah. There was some guy that came in giving Sonny a hard time. But he said he was used to it. So I didn't think much of it."

"What do you mean 'used to it'?"

"Well, I asked him the same thing. He said there are a lot of people around who don't like him for being so openly gay. So he was used to the threats and comments. He said people like that were just mostly talk."

"Are you aware of any other threats and comments made towards Sonny?"

"Well, this wasn't the first incident I have witnessed hateful words expressed towards Sonny and his lifestyle. But never threats."

"And did this guy threaten Sonny?"

"I didn't think it was a threat."

"Well, what did he say exactly?"

"He told Sonny the way he was living his life was all wrong. Kissing other 'faggots' like him. And that one day he would live to regret it. I just assumed it was more of a general statement than a threat."

"Have you seen the guy before?" Roman asked.

"A couple of times. He's been in there before. I don't remember him ever giving Sonny a hard time before, though."

"How did Sonny respond to the comments made?"

"He was clearly annoyed by him. Then said if he had a problem, he should just leave. But the guy continued to taunt him. I guess the guy had seen Sonny with Will earlier in the day. And he went off on some homophobic rage. Sonny didn't care that much when it was directed at him. But as soon as the guy went after Will…"

"That's when the argument ensued?"

"You could say that. Sonny was furious. He told him not to speak about Will like that. And told him again to leave."

"Did the guy leave?"

"Yeah. He left, smiling. It was weird."

"What did Sonny do after he left?"

"He went back to his office. He said he needed to cooldown. I also overheard him on the phone with Will, just checking up on him. Sonny worries about Will a lot."

"How did the rest of the night go?"

"Sonny came out of his office probably half hour later. He seemed fine. Things kind of slowed down after that, so he told me to go home early. Said there was no point both of us being there with nothing to do. He would be fine by himself. I wasn't sure if I should leave. I didn't want that guy to come back. But Sonny said everything was fine and I believed him. So, I went home. Chad woke me up around 1:30 asking about Sonny."

"And you said everything was fine when you left?"

"Yeah. Because it was. Everything had calmed down at that point. And I didn't see anyone around. The place was empty."

"Thanks, Lauren." Roman said. "Would you mind going down to the station and giving a description of the guy to our sketch artist?"

"Absolutely. I just want Sonny to be ok. Do you think this guy did it?"

"I can't answer that at this time. But thank you for your cooperation."

The pieces were starting to come together. Roman had Rafe reviewing the security video. Hopefully soon he would have another piece of the puzzle.


	8. Chapter 8

Adrienne and Justin walk into Sonny's room to find Will asleep. His head was resting on Sonny's arm. Their fingers were intertwined. Will's other arm was wrapped around Sonny's arm, cuddling it.

"Will," Justin whispered while shaking the boy's shoulders. "Will. Wake up."

Will opened his heavy eyelids and saw Sonny's parents in front of him.

"Hey," he said, sleepily.

"Will, you really need to go home and get some sleep," Adrienne said. "And eat something. You haven't left Sonny's side in over a week."

"I promised I wouldn't leave him," Will whimpers. "I have to be here when he wakes up."

"Will," began Justin. "You need to get some sleep. Take a shower. Eat. Sonny would want that."

Will thinks back on all the times Sonny would yell at him for not taking care of himself. For staying up all night to play video games. For skipping breakfast. For snacking on junk food instead of eating a meal. A smile creeps across Will's face. _I need you to yell at me Sonny for not taking care of myself. For not eating or sleeping_.

"I know you're right," Will says. "But I can't leave him. I can't sleep without him next to me. I can't eat knowing he's still like this."

"Will," Adrienne exclaims. "Sonny is improving. His body just needs time to heal. And I know he would want you to take care of yourself. Please just go to the Pub and grab something to eat. Then go to your apartment and at least take a nap. It's what Sonny would want."

Will gives in. He slowly gets up from his chair. "I'm only doing this for Sonny. And you have to promise to call if anything changes. Please, promise me."

"Of course, Will," Adrienne says. "We will stay with our son until you get back."

Will gives them a weak smile. He kisses Sonny's cheek. "I'll be back soon, Babe. Don't open those beautiful eyes before I get back. I love you so much."

Will feels Sonny squeeze his hand and his eyes fill with tears. Will believes this was Sonny's way of agreeing with his parents and letting him know he loves him. Will feels a little bit better about leaving, but still has a heavy heart.

* * *

Will went into the Pub and saw his great-grandmother Caroline behind the counter.

"Will!" She exclaims. "How are you doing? How is Sonny?"

"There hasn't been much change with Sonny. He still is on the ventilator, but they have been weaning him off. If he doesn't get off soon, they have to cut his throat and put a more permanent tube in."

Will starts crying. Caroline comes around the counter and hugs Will. She ushers them into a booth.

"Will," Caroline begins. "Sweetie. I'm so sorry. Did they say if he was improving?"

Will looks down at the ground and whispers, "Yeah. I'm just so scared Grandma. What if he doesn't wake up?"

Caroline grabs Will's chin and lifts his face so that he is looking his great-grandmother in the eye. She grabs his hand and says,"Sweetie. You can't think like that.'

"I know it's just..." Tears slide down his cheek and he lets out a whimper. "I love him so much. And I need him. More than I have needed anything in my life. I can't help wondering what if he never wakes up. What if he doesn't remember me. What if he is no longer the guy I fell in love with."

"William," Caroline sighs. "You can't think like that. Be strong for him. Your love will bring him back."

Will smiles weakly at Caroline and whispers, "thanks."

"Now when is the last time you ate? You look like skin and bones!"

"Oh, I don't know. I had a candy bar last night, I think."

"Let me get you something to eat. What would you like?"

"I'm really not hungry. I just agreed to come here because Justin and Adrienne said that Sonny would want me to get something to eat and to get some sleep. But I just really want to be with him right now."

"I know you do, Sweetie. But you must take care of yourself! For Sonny. I am going to make you something. I'll be right back."

Caroline got up and hurried into the kitchen. Abby and Chad walk into the Pub.

"Will?" Abby asks. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the hospital? Is everything ok with Sonny?"

Will looks up at his friend and cousin and gives them a weak smile "Hey," Will whispers. "Justin and Adrienne told me I needed to get some sleep and come here to eat. That Sonny would want me to take care of myself."

"Well, that's true," Chad said. "How is he doing? They still won't let me see him, will they?"

"Well, they say he is improving," Will says. "But I don't see any change. And no, they still don't want him having many visitors. But I will ask when I get back."

"Thanks, man. How are you holding up?"

"I'm trying," Will quivered. "But it's hard. I hate seeing him like this. I hate that there is nothing I can do. It's killing me not being with him right now. Chad, I just love Sonny so much. I-I d-don't k-k-know…"

Chad puts his hands on Will's shoulders. "I know, man. I know. But you can't think like that. Sonny will come back to us."

Will smiled at Chad weakly. He knows his friend is trying to help, but nothing is going to help until Sonny wakes up.

"I'm going to get us some drinks," Abby said. "what do you guys want?"

"I'm fine," Will says. "Grandma is grabbing me something."

"I'll just take a coffee," Chad replies. "Thanks."

Abby gets up and goes to the counter. Chad looks at a Will and asks, "Did you go to EJ about taking this guy down?"

Will looks up, shocked. "Ho-how di-did you know I ta-talked to EJ?"

"Dude, he's my brother. And I may have went to him after I talked with your grandpa."

Will sighed. "It was stupid. I just…I just wanted to feel like I was doing something to help Sonny. I just felt so helpless. I still do. And I want whoever did this to pay."

"Me, too," Chad replied. "Me, too."

Abby comes back with the drinks and Caroline is behind her with a cheeseburger and fries for Will.

"Eat up, Sweetie," Caroline says, pats Will on the cheek and walks away.

"Do you guys know how the case is going?" Will asks. "I haven't talked to grandpa Roman in awhile. I haven't wanted to focus on anything but Sonny."

Abby and Chad look at each other. Abby says, "They may have a lead. I saw him arguing with some guy that night. Roman talked with Lauren and she said the same thing. We gave our description of the guy. And they are trying to figure it out. The security video hasn't really provided any leads. They can't get a clear view of the guy."

"Oh," Will whispers. "I was just hoping…"

"We know, Will," Abby replies. "We want the same thing. Me and Lauren have seen the guy around, but we don't know who he is. I just wish there was more I could do." Abby looks down, sadly.

"It's ok," Will says and grabs Abby's hand. "At least, they have something. Chad, what's going on with the coffeehouse?"

"We're still closed. We have to repaint the shop. Most of the furniture needs to be replaced, too. I am also thinking about putting in a new security system."

"That's a great idea," Will says. "I will have to tell Sonny when I get back to the hospital."

Will finishes his plate, as Abby and Chad look on. "I'm going to go back home and lay down for a while. Then head back up to the hospital. Thanks guys for filling me in. I will try to keep you updated on Sonny. I will also ask when you guys can come visit."

Will walks up to the counter and hugs his grandma."Give Sonny our love. Tell him we are all praying for him."

"I will."

Will hugs Chad and Abby. Then heads back to the apartment he shares with Sonny.


	9. Chapter 9

**I will try to get new chapters out as quickly as possible. But I am back in school, so I won't have too much free time. So, I am apologizing in advance! **

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews! After I finish this one up, I may try my hand at another. **

* * *

Will rolls over, clutching Sonny's pillow to his chest and reaches for Sonny. Sonny's part of the bed is empty and Will's heart begins to race.

"Sonny? Where are you?" Will screams frantically.

Then reality hits him like a ton of bricks. Sonny is in the hospital. Will tries to catch his breath and to get his heart to stop racing. Will looks over at the clock. It is 8am. He slept all night. Will starts looking for his phone, afraid that he missed a call from Sonny's parents. He sees a text message from Justin. _Glad you're getting some sleep. We will spend the night at the hospital with Sonny. He is doing fine. _ Will sighs with relief. He quickly showers and gets dressed. He decides to wear one of Sonny's undershirts that he is so fond of. It smells just like him and it makes Will smile.

He stops at the Pub before heading back to the hospital to pick up some coffee and donuts, since the coffeehouse is still closed. He gets enough for himself and Sonny's parents. He runs into Gabi.

"Will," Gabi sighs. "I'm so sorry to hear about Sonny. How is he doing?"

Will looks at Gabi, annoyed. "I'm sure you are. If you don't mind, I need to get going. Bye."

Will races off, leaving Gabi confused. Sonny had filled him in on everything that she has done. After the shock wore off, he agreed to have nothing to do with her.

Will quietly opens the door to Sonny's room. He sees Adrienne and Justin fast asleep, both resting their heads on the bed.

"Hey," Will whispers to Justin, shaking his shoulders. "I'm back."

"Oh, hey," Justin says, groggy. "Were you able to get any sleep last night?"

"yeah," Will smiles. "It was nice being in our bed. I just wish Sonny was sleeping next to me. But I know he will be soon."

Justin frowns. "Will. I really hope that's true. I keep hoping and praying that he will wake up soon."

"Me too. I stopped by the Pub on the way here and got you guys some coffee and donuts."

"Thanks. We really appreciate it."

Adrienne hears voices and begins to wake up. "Will?"

"Yeah. I'm back. You guys can head on home, if you like."

"Thanks. That sounds like a good idea. I don't think I slept too well last night." Adrienne sighs.

All the sudden they hear a groan. They all turn their heads towards Sonny. He is moving his head, side to side and groaning. His fingers are moving, like he is trying to grab something. Will runs over to the side of the bed and grabs Sonny's hand.

"Baby," Will cries. "I'm right here. So are your parents. Shhhh. We are right here."

Adrienne grabs Sonny's other hand. "Baby. Mama's here. Everything will be alright."

Sonny seems to calm down at the sound of their voices. Will begins to stroke Sonny's cheek to help soothe him. He turns his head towards Will's hand.

In the mean time, Justin ran out to the nurse's station to alert the nurse's of the new events. Dr. Jonas comes racing in.

"What's going on?" Daniel asks.

"We were talking," began Justin. "And Sonny just started moaning. He was moving his head side to side and it looked like he was trying to grab something with his hands."

"As soon as we started talking to him, he calmed down," Adrienne added. "Does this mean anything?"

"I'm not sure," Daniel says. "Let me assess him and see if there are any changes. Would you mind stepping out for a second?"

"Sure," Justin and Adrienne say, in unison.

"No!" Will exclaims.

"Come on, Will," Justin says. "Let Daniel do his job."

"No! I won't go," Will says, defiantly.

"It's fine," Daniel says. "But I need you to stay at the back of the room."

Will nods his head in agreement. The three of them stand at the back of the room and watch Daniel. He opens Sonny's eyes, one at a time. He shines a light in both of them to check their response. He listens to Sonny's heart and lungs. Checks his motor response by gliding his finger over the sole of Sonny's feet and palms of his hand.

Daniel looks over at Will and smiles. "It does seem like he is improving. He is having better motor response. He seems to be responding to your voice. So, keep talking to him. His blood pressure is slightly elevated, so try not to excite him. I am going to get the respiratory therapist in here. I want to see if we will be able to take him off the ventilator today."

Justin grabs Adrienne's hand and squeezes, as tears well up in her eyes.

Will's eyes got really big and excitedly asks, "Are you serious?"

Daniel nods his head and smiles. "Yes, Will."


	10. Chapter 10

Will and Sonny's parents are waiting to hear what the respiratory therapist and Dr. Jonas decide about the ventilator. Will agreed to step outside, briefly while the two discussed the best plan of action. Will is pacing in the hallway when he sees his grandma Marlena.

"Grandma," Will cries, running towards her to give a hug.

"My sweet boy," she replies. "How are you holding up?"

"Ok. They are trying to decide if they can take him off the ventilator today."

"That's amazing news!" Marlena exclaims.

"Yes! It feels like he's getting closer to coming back to me."

"Oh, Will. I am so happy for you. And thankful."

"Me, too. By the way, I talked to Chad and Abby yesterday about the case."

"Yes. And what did they say?"

Will explains the conversation he had with Abby and Chad at the Pub the previous day. "But they still have no clue who this guy could be. What if they never find him and he comes back to finish Sonny off?"

"Darling," Marlena coos. "You can't think that way. Your grandpa is going to find him. He is working very hard, as you know. He won't give up until he finds this guy."

"I know. I just can't help…" Will trails off.

Marlena pulls Will into a hug and rubs his back, just as Dr. Jonas and the respiratory therapist walk out. Marlena grabs Will's hand and they walk towards Dr. Jonas and Sonny's parents.

"Since Sonny is breathing mostly on his own and making groaning noises, " Daniel begins. "We have removed the breathing tube, temporarily. Just to see how he handles it. Maxine will be keeping a close eye on him for any decline in his condition. But you can come sit with him now, if you would like."

Will's eyes fill up with tears and a smile spreads across his face. "yes. Yes. Of course. This is the best news we have gotten in awhile."

The first thing Will does when he enters Sonny's room is run his thumb across Sonny's lips. Then leans down and gives him a soft kiss on the lips. He's missed those lips more than he thought was ever possible. They are dried and cracked from the ventilator, but they are his lips. So Will doesn't care. A tear slips down his cheek. Sonny is finally starting to look like himself again.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry it has taken me so long to update! I love reading all of your comments and reviews! They mean so much! I hope you continue to like the story. Sorry if I have bogged you down with too much details. I am obsessed with details! :)**

* * *

Sonny has now been in the ICU for two weeks. The swelling has mostly gone down, so that he is recognizable again. He is no longer on the ventilator, but they are keeping him on supplemental oxygen. His arms are no longer in the restraints. There no longer is a large white bandage covering half of Sonny's head. Just a small bandage on the back of his head where they did surgery, which gets changed every day. They had to shave Sonny's hair off for the surgery. It is slowly growing back. His labs are coming back perfect and he is passing all assessment tests, but he has yet to wake up. He is no longer on antibiotics. He is still getting around the clock pain meds, but he is no longer getting the heavy stuff. Just morphine, every four hours. He usually gets restless right before the pain meds are due. Will presses Sonny's hand to his cheek and whispers soothing words into his ear. It usually calms him down some until the medication is due.

Will has been taught by the nursing staff how to bathe Sonny. He asked them if it would be ok if he did it every morning. They didn't mind, as long as someone from the staff was in there to observe him. Will's favorite time of day is bathing Sonny. He tries to be so gentle with him, so he doesn't hurt him. Will loves being able to take care of his boyfriend. He always looks so peaceful.

* * *

Chad and Abby were allowed to begin visiting. They stop by everyday to check on Sonny and Will. Chad updates them on the renovations to the coffeehouse and how the case is going.

"They have a lead," Chad told them.

"Really?" Will exclaims. "Who is it? Is it anybody we know?"

"They aren't releasing anything," Abby chimes in. "Roman won't give us anything. He just said he had a breakthrough. And things are looking better."

"Oh," Will said with disappointment.

"But EJ said he had some information to share with me this afternoon about the case. I'm not sure what he knows or how he found anything out. But I'm hoping he has some good news to share."

"You don't think with EJ working on his own investigation will hurt the case, do you?" Will asks. "I know I am the one that asked him to begin with. But…"

"No," Chad says. "EJ said he is being very careful not to ruin anything. He wants this guy to go down, too."

Will smiles, relieved that he didn't screw things up by getting EJ involved. At least, he hoped this wouldn't come back to bite him.

Will can feel Sonny's grip on his hand getting tighter. This usually only means one thing, he is in pain. "Chad, would you mind getting the nurse and telling them I think it's time for Sonny's pain medication?"

Chad nods his head and heads to the nurse's station.

Abby glares at Will. "Why did you involve EJ in all of this?"

Will stammers, " I-I d-don't know. I wa-was just so scared. And he has connections. I-I was just hoping he could help."

Abby looks at Will sadly and sighs. "I know you were scared. We all were. We all still are. But you know that was dumb, right?"

Will nods his head in agreement. "I'm not Sonny. I don't know what to do in a crisis. I just wanted to protect him and save him. I don't know how to do it and EJ always seems to have the answers. So, I thought…."

"That maybe he could fix things?" She asks.

Will nods his head, but won't make eye contact with her. Sonny is getting more and more restless. His grip is getting stronger on Will's hand. He keeps moving his legs and head from side to side. A groan escapes his lips. He starts breathing faster and one of the alarms sounds. Will leans over and kisses Sonny on the forehead.

"Shhhhh," Will whispers. "I'm right here, baby. It's ok. Shhhhh. I got you. I'm not going anywhere."

Will begins to stroke Sonny's cheek. Sonny's breathing starts to slow down at the sound of Will's voice. Abby watches her cousins, in awe. Tears begin to slide down her cheek. _If only I could find someone who loves me like these two love each other_.


	12. Chapter 12

**I apologize that this has taken me so long to update! School has kept me very busy, but I have a week off. I am hoping to post a couple of chapters this week! I didn't mean to leave you guys hanging. Hope this chapter was worth the wait! Thank you so much for the reviews and love! It means so much! And our boys are back together! :)**

* * *

"Will?"

Will hears someone groan out his name. He lifts his head off of the railing of Sonny's bed and rubs the sleep from his eyes. He sees Sonny moving his head from side to side, shaking his head no. He hears his name escape Sonny's lips again. Tears spring to Will's eyes. He hasn't heard Sonny's beautiful voice in over 2 weeks. He begins to slowly stroke Sonny's cheek.

"Shhhh," Will whispers while trying to choke back sobs. "I'm right here, baby. Shhhh."

Sonny's grip around Will's fingers tighten and he groans out, "Will?"

"Yeah, baby?"

Will hits the button for the nurse's station. Maxine saunters into the room.

"What do you need, honey?"

"I-It's So-Sonny," he cries, keeping his eyes fixed on his boyfriend. "He's been saying my name."

Dr. Davis, the on-call physician, walks into the room.

"Cam?" Will asks. "What's going on? This is good, right?"

Cameron assesses Sonny to see if there has been any change in his condition. His heart rate and blood pressure are elevated, but everything else remains the same.

"It's promising," the doctor replies.

"D-does that me-mean…" Will stammers out.

"Well, we won't know anything until he wakes up. But it is looking like that may happen soon."

Tears fall down Will's face. He doesn't know what to say. This is what they have waited for. The endless days at Sonny's bedside. The prayers everyone has said are coming true. His love is coming back to him. Will pulls out his phone and texts Sonny's family and friends to share the good news.

"Will?" Sonny's voice is quiet and shaky. "Will?"

Sonny is getting more restless. His hand tightens around Will's fingers. The muscles in Sonny's arms tighten. Will can see his biceps swell. He looks up at the doctor. "Can you give him something for pain? This is how he usually gets when he starts hurting?"

Cam nods his head and leaves the room. Will places a gentle kiss on Sonny's lips as he continues to stroke his cheek and hold his hand.

"I'm right here, baby. I'm right here."

This time the sound of Will's voice isn't calming Sonny down. He begins to get more agitated. He begins kicking his legs and moving his arms around.

"Will? Where are you?" Sonny quietly cries out. "No. Don't hurt him. Will?"

Will is becoming alarmed at Sonny's words and actions. _What is going on?_ Will's eyes are fearful. Cameron walks back into Sonny's room with some pain medication.

"Something's wrong, Cam" Will cries out. "He won't calm down like he usually does when I talk to him. He keeps whispering my name. Then he started saying 'don't hurt him'. What's going on?"

Cameron looks at Will sadly. "It may have to do with the break in. He may be reliving it, but we won't know anything until he wakes up. If this medication doesn't calm him down, I have something else I can give him. Ok?"

Will nods his head. He is shaking trying to hold back his sobs. Tears are cascading down his cheek.

"Baby," Will softly cries into Sonny's ear. "Baby, I'm right here. Just calm down. I'm fine. Just relax. I'm right here, baby. I love you."

Sonny's hand begins to relax against Will's. Sonny turns his head in the direction of Will's voice and his eyes flutter open.


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry, but this chapter is kind of short. I hope to put up a couple of chapters this next week while I have the time! I am so glad that this story has gotten such positive reviews! Thank you so much for reading and giving me feedback! All feedback is so welcome!**

* * *

Sonny stares blankly at Will, searching. Tears are flowing down Will's cheek.

"Baby," Will sobs. He begins stroking Sonny's cheek, lovingly.

Sonny looks up at Will, confused. "Where am I? Who are you?"

Will is taken aback by these questions. "Babe, it's Will. You are in the hospital. Do you know how you got here?"

"Will? Why am I here?"

"You don't remember?" Will asks.

"All I remember is being at the coffeehouse."

"It's ok, baby," Will says soothingly. "Don't worry about it right now. Just try to rest."

Sonny smiles at him weakly and closes his eyes. A few minutes later his breathing takes on a slow, steady rhythm and Will knows he's asleep. Will heads out to the nurse's station to see if Cameron is still there.

"Cam?" Will calls out.

"Yeah?"

"Sonny opened his eyes. And he was talking to me. He remembers being at the coffeehouse. But he didn't know who I was until I told him. Do you think something is wrong?"

Cameron has a worried expression on his face. "Will, I hate to keep sounding like a broken record. But nothing physically has changed. We just have to wait and see what happens. He isn't still awake, is he?"

"No, I told him to sleep. That's what he is doing now."

"WILL?"

Will hears Sonny scream out his name. He and Cameron race into his room. Sonny's eyes are still closed, but he has a pained expression on his face. Sonny is thrashing in bed. Will runs to the side of the bed and grabs Sonny's hand.

"I'm going to grab him a sedative," Cameron tells Will and leaves the room.

Will nods his head. "Baby. I'm right here. I love you."

Will's heart drops looking at Sonny. _He seems so afraid. What is going on in that pretty little head of yours? _He hates seeing Sonny like this. Will throws the rules out the window and slowly slides into bed with Sonny making sure to avoid all wires and tubes. He puts one arm behind Sonny's neck and pulls his head to Will's chest and uses the other arm to pull the rest of Sonny's body to him. He can feel Sonny shaking. Will caresses Sonny's back. He can hear quiet sobs escape Sonny's lips.

"I'm right here, Sonny. I'm not going anywhere. I love you."

Will can feel Sonny's body start to relax into him. His breathing starts to even out, but he can still hear small sobs escape Sonny's lips. With each sob, Will's heart aches for the man he loves a little bit more.

Cameron comes back into the room and sees Will in bed with Sonny. Cameron sighs. "Will. You know that's not allowed."

Will looks up at Cameron with tears in his eyes. "I know, but he needs me. We both need this."

Cameron shakes his head sadly and smiles. "You're lucky I'm such a romantic."


	14. Chapter 14

An hour later, Justin, Adrienne, Chad, and Abby show up. They see Sonny curled up into Will, both men fast asleep.

"Will?" Whispers Justin.

Will looks up at Justin and then sees the other three in the room. "Hey."

"Looking pretty comfy there," jokes Chad.

Will smiles at his friend. "Yeah."

Will pulls his arm out from behind Sonny and slowly tries to slide out of bed. Will feels Sonny's arms grip him tighter. Will looks down at Sonny and kisses him on the forehead.

"I guess I'm not allowed out of bed," Will says.

They all laugh. Adrienne steps toward Will. "So what is going on?"

Will rubs Sonny's back and explains what has transpired over the last couple of hours.

"So, he remembers that night?" Chad asks.

"Yeah. But it all seemed kind of fuzzy to him. He doesn't remember too much right now. I also didn't want to push him."

"We don't want to do that," interjected Justin. "But he did open his eyes and talk to you. That is so amazing."

"I know," Will chokes out. "But he seems to get agitated more and more easily. He also keeps screaming out my name and there is almost this fear in his voice. But he didn't say anything about it when he was telling me about being at the coffeehouse."

They all look at each other with a concerned expression. "What happened that night?" Whispers Adrienne.

"Will?" Sonny groans out, tightening his grip around his boyfriend.

"I'm right here. Shhhhh."

Sonny looks up at his boyfriend and smiles. "You're ok?"

Will looks at Sonny, confused. "I'm fine. How are you feeling?"

Sonny sighs. "Not great."

"Baby," Adrienne coos and walks over to his bedside. She places her hand on his head and strokes the fuzz where his hair is growing back. "What's wrong? What hurts?"

"Mom?" Sonny asks.

"Yeah, baby?"

"You're here?"

"Of course, baby. There is no other place I would rather be than with you."

Sonny turns his head towards his mom and smiles. Then he begins to frown and says, "What happened to me?"

"Son," Justin says, approaching Sonny's bedside. "That's what we want to know. But you don't have to tell us what you know, yet. We're just glad you're awake."

"Yeah," Chad says approaching the end of Sonny's bed, holding Abby's hand. "We've missed you."

Sonny frowns. "You missed me?"

"You've been unconscious for a couple of weeks," Will tells Sonny. "We weren't sure if you were ever going to wake up."


	15. Chapter 15

Two days later, Sonny is moved out of ICU. He is up walking and talking, back to his old self. Will and Sonny are alone in his room after every one has left for the day. Will still refuses to leave Sonny's side and Sonny doesn't mind.

"You know," Will begins. "My grandpa is coming tomorrow to talk to you about what happened. Are you going to be up to it?"

Sonny frowns. "Yeah. I think so. It's just….a lot is still so fuzzy."

"That's to be expected. You went through quite an ordeal," Will says, sadly.

Sonny pats the side of the bed, indicating he wants Will to lay next to him. Sonny is no longer hooked up to a heart monitor. No IV fluids or nutrition are running. Will slides into bed with Sonny, pulling him to his chest. Will begins rubbing Sonny's back.

"You know," Sonny smiles at Will. "I heard what you said when I was unconscious."

Will blushes, "Really?"

Sonny scoots closer to Will and tightens his grip around his waist. "Yeah."

"Well, it's all true. I was so scared, Sonny. I didn't know what I would do if something every happened to you."

Sonny lifts his head up, resting his chin on Will's chest. Sonny looks Will in the eyes and smiles, "Well, you won't ever have to find out."

Will looks at him with sad eyes. "Sonny. I love you so much. And when I found you. I wasn't even sure…."

"If I was alive?" Sonny finishes, sadly.

Will nods his head and looks away. "And I….I just didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to handle it. You are always the one who is strong and gives me strength. I didn't know how to be that for you."

"Hey," Sonny whispers, pulling Will's face so that he can look him in the eyes. "You give me strength everyday. By being you. By being by my side. By loving me. You make me stronger."

Will's eyes brim with tears and he smiles. "I love you, baby."

Sonny rests his head back on Will's chest. "I love you, too."

Will continues to rub Sonny's back until he falls asleep. Will watches how peaceful Sonny is when he sleeps and realizes how close he was to losing the man he loves. He never wants to spend another day without Sonny by his side and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that never happens.

* * *

"No!" Will hears Sonny scream. "Don't!"

Will hugs Sonny closer to his body and strokes his hand through the little hair that has grown back on Sonny's head. Tears slip down Will's cheek. This has happened every night since Sonny woke up and each night it breaks Will's heart a little more. Every time Will asks Sonny about it, he doesn't answer. Will knows he is holding back, but also doesn't want to push him.

Will sees tears prickling out of the corner of Sonny's eyes and his lips are whimpering. He is gasping for breath. "Will," he whispers. "Where are you?"

The pain and desperation in Sonny's voice pulls at Will's heart until he feels he is drowning in pain alongside Sonny. "Shhhhh," Will soothes in Sonny's ear. "I'm right here. I'm fine. Shhhhhh."

This is usually all Sonny needs to calm down. But not tonight.

Sonny shoots up in bed. He screams out in pain and fear. His breathing becomes heavier, while he tries to dart out of bed. Will grabs Sonny's arm to try to pull him back before he leaps off the bed. Sonny turns toward Will. His eyes are wide with fear and fresh tears.

"Will?" Sonny's voice shakes.

"Yeah, baby. I'm right here."

Will brings Sonny into a hug. He can feel Sonny's fingers dig into his back as he tries to catch his breath. Will can feel Sonny's body shaking as he sobs.

"I-I-I," Sonny stammers through tears. "I was so scared. They….They said…"

"They?" Will looks into Sonny's eyes, confused.

Sonny looks away from Will. "It doesn't matter," Sonny trails off, quietly.

"Babe, it matters to me. Who are they? And why do you wake up screaming every night. Please tell me," Will begs.

Sonny shakes his head and whispers, "It doesn't matter."

A new set of sobs takes over Sonny and Will doesn't know what else to do. So he pulls Sonny's head back to him. Sonny nestles his head into Will's neck. Will can feel the wetness from Sonny's tears on his skin and all he wants to do is make Sonny's pain go away.

Will lowers himself and Sonny back down until they are both lying on the bed again. Sonny wraps his arm around Will's waist. Will can feel the weight of Sonny's body on top of him, as his face remains buried in Will's neck. Will's arm is on Sonny's lower back, rubbing circles until Sonny's body stops shaking from crying. He can feel Sonny's breathing begin to even out as he cries himself to sleep. Will doesn't know what to do to help Sonny. He feels completely helpless and his only wish is to take all the pain away.


	16. Chapter 16

Will wakes up when he feels the weight of Sonny shift off of him. He turns his head to look at his boyfriend. Sonny is staring at the ceiling as tears slip down his cheek.

"Babe?" Will asks, softly.

Sonny quickly wipes away his tears and turns towards Will, faking a smile. "Good morning, beautiful," Sonny whispers.

"Do you want to talk about last night?"

Sonny's eyes darken to an almost black at Will's question, but he quickly recovers. "Last night? What happened?" Sonny asks innocently.

"Stop!" Will says to Sonny, softly and with intensity. "Stop pretending like you don't remember waking up every night screaming and falling back asleep to your tears."

Sonny turns away from Will and begins to look at the ceiling. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sonny," Will cries, softly. "Don't shut me out. Let me in. Let me help you."

Fresh tears sting Sonny's eyes and he looks Will in the eyes. Will is now sitting up in bed, watching Sonny. He can see the struggle in his boyfriend's eyes. The pain. The anguish. The fear. The desperation. And finally he gives in to Will. Sonny grabs Will's hand and lets out a shaky breath.

There's a knock on the door and both boys turn their heads to see who it is.

"Hey Sonny. Hey Will."

"Grandpa?" Will asks.

"I'm here to talk to Sonny," Roman says. "We need to go over what happened to you at the coffeehouse. Your doctor thinks you should be ok to talk about it now."

Sonny looks at Will with fear in his eyes and Will's heart constricts. "Are you up to it, babe?"

"I-I gu-guess so," Sonny whispers as the tears begin flowing again.

"Will, I'm going to have to ask you to leave while I talk to Sonny."

Will looks into Sonny's eyes. He doesn't want to leave Sonny. He wants to stay with him. To be strong for him.

"Does he have to?" Sonny asks.

"Well, if you want him to stay. I guess that could be ok. But I think it would be better if I talked to you alone."

"Why?"

"I need you to be completely honest with me about everything that happened that night. Sometimes when people have a loved one with them, they tend to omit pieces. Usually to protect them from the truth. And I need to know every detail. No matter how hard it is to talk about."

"I don't want him to go," Sonny whispers.

Will squeezes Sonny's hand. "I will do whatever you want me to do, " Will whispers back to Sonny.

"Ok," Roman says. "I just want to be sure, Sonny. You are saying you want Will present to hear everything? And you will be completely honest and not leave anything out?"

"Yeah. I promise."

"Ok. Lets get started."

Roman pulls up a chair to the side of the bed. He pulls out his recorder and notebook. Sonny turns himself so he is on the side of the bed facing Roman with his feet dangling off the bed. Will sits next to Sonny on the bed, angling his body towards his boyfriend. Will has one hand resting on Sonny's back, making slow even strokes to calm him down. While also holding his boyfriend's hand with the other. Sonny takes a couple of deep breaths to try to calm his nerves.

"Are you ok to do this?" Will whispers in Sonny's ear.

Sonny nods his head as tears slip down his cheek. "I have to," he says, barely audible.

Roman looks at the two boys with a concerned expression. "Are you ready, Sonny?"

Sonny nods and Will's grasp of Sonny tightens. He can feel Sonny's muscles tighten as Roman clicks on the recorder and sets it on the bed.

"Babe," Will whispers. "You can do this. I'm here no matter what. I love you."

Sonny nods his head at Will's words and begins to relax a little.

"Jackson Kiriakis," Roman begins. "Can you tell me where you were on the night of the 15th of April, 2013?"

Sonny feels anxiety building up in his chest as he replays the days events in his head. He can feel Will's hand on his back and it makes him feel safe. He is surprised that Will is staying here. Sonny doesn't know what he would have done without his boyfriend by his side. He has never felt more loved in his entire life. Will loves with everything he has and that love has enveloped Sonny. Will has been so strong and it is exactly what Sonny has needed. He has been patient with Sonny as he has struggled with what happened. When he wakes up every night from nightmares, Will is the one that is able to calm him down and lull him back to sleep. He needs that calming source right now. He needs Will's strength right now. But Sonny is afraid for Will. _How will he react when he hears everything? _Sonny wonders. He lets out a deep breath and Will kisses him on the cheek.

"Everything is going to be ok, Son. I'm right here. I will always be right here next to you. No matter what."

That is exactly what Sonny needs to hear. "I was working. 3 to close at the coffeehouse."


	17. Chapter 17

**I am going to apologize in advance. My break is over after today, so I don't know when I will be posting more chapters. Please don't hate me! :) I will try to gather some free time to post more. I am so happy you guys have shown this story so much love. I read everything you write me. I appreciate it more than I can say! I love hearing all of your thoughts, the good and the bad!**

* * *

Sonny sees things in flashes.

Walking back to his office to grab his stuff.

Hearing the door slam, assuming it's Will.

Hearing voices he doesn't recognize.

The fear of who is there.

Searching for his phone to call for help.

Unfamiliar hands grabbing him.

Cold, metal object pressed to his back.

Whispers in his ears.

Tears falling down his cheek.

Thinking of Will.

Thinking about his family.

Wondering if this the end.

Trying to stay strong and not show his fear.

Feeling pain as he is hit with the cold, metal object.

Everything turning black.

Trying to wake up.

Hearing things being smashed.

Feeling hands on him.

Hearing his phone, knowing Will was calling.

Trying to wake up to talk to Will.

Then quiet.

Peace.

Hearing someone frantically call his name.

It's Will.

Trying to wake up to talk to him.

Will's hands.

Will's sobs.

Squeezing Will's hand.

Then quiet.

* * *

"I was working. Three to close."

"Who did you work with that night?" Roman asks.

"I came in to relieve Chad. Lauren came in shortly after I got there. The two of us were closing that night."

"When did Lauren leave?"

"Around 8 it got really slow. We had 3 customers in an hour, so I told her she could go home early. I would just close up by myself. So, she left around 9, I believe."

"And what time did you close?"

"We close at 10, usually. Depending on the flow of customers."

"So you closed up at 10?"

"Yeah."

"Was there anything different or strange about that night versus other nights?"

"Not really."

"Are you sure?" Roman questioned.

Sonny looked over at Will with sad eyes. Will nods his head for Sonny to continue. Sonny took a deep breath. "There was this guy."

"What about him?"

"He came in later in the evening. I don't really remember what time. But he seemed to come in looking for a fight."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I was in the back getting some supplies. Apparently he came in asking if the 'fag' was working. That's what Lauren told me."

"Did she go find you at that point?"

"Yeah. She came into the supply room and told me that. I didn't want her to have to deal with it, so I went out and told her to finish getting the stuff we were running low on."

"What happened next?"

"Well, Lauren followed me out anyways. And the guy said 'Just the person I was looking for'."

"Did you recognize him?"

"I knew he had been in before. But outside of that? No."

"What happened next?"

"I asked if I could help him with anything. He smiled at me and said yeah. I could leave Salem because I was tainting the town with my gayness. I had no clue where any of this was coming from. So, I told him he could leave if he had a problem with me or the coffeehouse."

"And did he leave?"

"No. He said he wasn't going anywhere. I looked over at Lauren because I wasn't really sure where this was going. I wanted to make sure she could get away if anything happened and go get help."

"Did things escalate?"

Sonny can feel Will's grip on his hand tighten. He knew this was hard for Will to hear. Sonny looked over at Will and he could see tears forming in his eyes.

"You can go, Will. If you don't want to hear this. I will be fine," Sonny whispered.

Will shook his head no and whispered, "I'm here for you. I'm not going to leave you unless that is what you want."

"No," Sonny whispers. "I would like you to stay."

Will squeezes Sonny's hand and places a gentle kiss on his cheek. He rests his head on Sonny's shoulder as he continues. Sonny directs his attention back to Roman. "Things never got violent," Sonny continues. "But I guess you could say they escalated."


	18. Chapter 18

Sonny remembers getting ready to leave. He placed his phone on the counter before going back to the office to grab his things. While in the office, he hears banging and yelling. Sonny's heart begins to race. He decides to stay in the office for a few minutes, hoping things settle down outside the store. Then there is glass breaking and the voices are getting louder. He recognizes one of the voices, but can't recall anymore who's voice that was. He hears someone's voice behind him.

"Hey fag," the voice seethes.

Sonny begins to turn around, but he feels something pressed against his back. He is thinking the guy has a gun. Sonny's breath becomes ragged from fear. All he can think about is Will. The object is pressed deeper into his spine.

"What do you want?" Sonny asks, shakily.

"I told you earlier, for you to leave Salem. And take that pretty boy boyfriend with you. I would hate for something to happen to him, wouldn't you?"

"Do whatever you want to me, but leave Will alone!" Sonny exclaims, angrily.

The guy begins laughing, manically. "So that's all I need to do? Find that boyfriend of yours and do as I please?"

"Leave him alone! If it's me you want, you have me. Just stay away from him."

Sonny feels pain and then everything goes dark. He can hear the whispers from the guy. The sound of destruction in the coffee shop. He thinks he hears his phone ringing. It must be Will. Sonny is fighting to wake up. But he can't. He can't move.

He hears them talking about Will. _Oh, God. Don't hurt him please_ he begs. But nothing comes out. There's that voice again. He's telling them they should go, their job is done. _Who are you? _He screams in his head. Then silence.

He hears Will's voice. He can't be here. They will hurt him. He needs to wake up and warn him to leave, but he can't. Will is crying out his name through sobs. Sonny can't stand it. This hurts more than any physical pain ever could. He grabs ever ounce of energy and strength to let Will know he is ok. He squeezes his hand. Will's voice is sounding further away now until there is nothing.

* * *

Sonny looks over at Will, who has tears streaming down his face.

"Oh, baby," Will whispers.

Sonny does his best to give Will a smile. Then looks back at Roman. "Can we be done for the day? I'm really tired and that's all I really remember."

Roman nods his head. "Yeah. That's fine. But if you remember anything else or need to tell me anything you left out, don't hesitate."

"I will."

"William, you take care of Sonny, ok?"

"I will Grandpa. Thank you for everything!" Will chokes out. He stands up to give Roman a hug, who then leaves the room.

"Come on. Let's get you back in bed." Will directs Sonny.

"Don't you want to talk about it?"

"Not right now. We have plenty of time to talk. I want you to get back in bed and get some sleep. You haven't been sleeping well. And I need you to get your energy up."

"Oh, and why is that?" Sonny teases.

"Because when you get released, I plan on showing you just how much I have missed you. And just how incredible I think you are. And how much I love you."

"How did I get so lucky?" Sonny asks as he lays down in the bed. He pats the space next to him, for Will to lay with him.

"I'm the lucky one, Kiriakis." Will smiles at his boyfriend, who lays his head on Will's chest once he climbs in the bed. "I'm the lucky one."

Will rubs Sonny's back until he hears his breath even out, indicating he has fallen asleep. Then Will let's his emotions overtake him. He watches his boyfriend through tear filled eyes. _I can't live through this again. I can't lose you. I will always protect you, no matter the cost. I love you too much to let someone hurt you._

Will pulls his phone out of his pocket and makes a phone call.


	19. Chapter 19

"How can you still have nothing?" Will yells. "My boyfriend could've died because of these homophobic assholes and at this rate, they will get away with it."

"Will we are doing the best we can. I don't know what you want me to do."

"I want you to fix this, so Sonny is no longer afraid. I want you to find the SOBs who did this to him."

"And that is what we are trying to do."

"Try harder! I don't know how many nights I can hear him scream in his sleep. Or cry out for me. Do you have any idea how that feels? I couldn't protect the one person who means the world to me. And I live with that everyday."

"William," Roman sighs. "I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I want to find the people who did this to Sonny, but you have to be patient."

"That's all I have been for the last few weeks," Will cries out. "I am tired of being patient. Sonny is scared to leave the hospital. Tell me, Grandpa, what would you do if you were me?"

Roman looks down and shakes his head. "Will, I wish it were me that had to deal with this instead of you."

"But it's not. That's my boyfriend in the hospital. My best friend. And watching him struggle every day kills me."

Will turns around and heads out of the police station. _If the police aren't going to do anything, I will find somebody that will._

* * *

Will pulls out his phone and sends a message to Chad. _Hey, can you meet me at the mansion. We need to talk. _

_Sure. Be there in a couple of minutes. _

Will is waiting outside when Chad arrives. "Hey man. What's this about?"

"I just left the police station. And they still have nothing on this case. At least, that's what my grandpa keeps telling me."

"So you want to officially enlist DiMera help?" Chad asks, incredulously.

"Well, you know I talked with EJ a couple of weeks ago after everything happened. Now I am ready to put that plan into action."

"Will, are you sure about this?"

"This isn't about me. This is about Sonny. And I will do anything to make sure he can feel safe again. And the only way that can happen is if we find the bastards who tried to hurt him."

"Will, trust me. I get it. I just want to make sure you know what you are getting into."

"I worked for your brother and he was my stepfather. Of course, I know what I am getting myself into."

"And how does Sonny feel about all of this?"

"Sonny doesn't know. He has enough to worry about. This is the last thing he needs to think about."

Chad nods his head at Will and puts his arm around his friend's shoulder. And they walk into the mansion together.

"Hey. EJ?"

"Chad?"

"Yeah. I'm with Will. Where are you?"

"In the living room."

The boys walk into the living room and see EJ sitting on the couch, with a glass of Brandy in his hand.

"What do I owe this visit? William, how is Jackson?"

"That's actually why I am here. I need your help finding out who did this. And I need it now!"

"We already talked about this, William. I told you I had men on the case, but it is very hard finding answers the legal way."

"I don't care how you find the answers. I need you to find out who did this to Sonny, so they can pay."

"So, are we looking to seek revenge, William?"

"Not revenge. Karma."


	20. Chapter 20

**I have been able to write more than I thought I would be able to this week. I blame most of that on procrastination! I love hearing all of your thoughts and opinions on this story. Thank you so much for sticking with me! I can't believe this is Chapter 20 and I still have no end in sight! Sometimes I get a little too bogged down in details, but hopefully I will be able to come up with an ending that will satisfy everyone! :)**

* * *

Sonny wakes up, startled. Will was not in bed with him. So he starts scanning the room. It's dark.

"Will? Where are you? Will?" Sonny screams.

His heart is racing and his breathing is becoming labored. _Oh, God. No. They have Will and it's all my fault. _Sonny races out of the room, calling out for Will.

"Whoa, Sonny! Where do you think you are going?" Maxine asks, as she stands in front of him with her arms up indicating him to stop.

"I have to find him. He's gone. They took him. I have to find him now!" Sonny spats out quickly.

"Who is gone? And who took him?"

"WILL! WILL IS GONE!" Sonny shouts.

"Sweetie, you have to calm down."

"Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down at a moment like this? They have Will. I knew I shouldn't have said anything. They told me he was next and they were right." Sonny begins sobbing.

Cameron hears all the commotion going on in the hallway and walks out. "What is going on out here?"

"It's Will. He's gone. They took him," Sonny says breathlessly.

"What are you talking about, Sonny?"

"He keeps saying they took Will. Doc, he's not making any sense," Maxine sighs.

"Sonny, let's get you back in your room. Then we can figure out what is going on." Cameron states.

"No! I have to find him," Sonny sobs and falls to the floor from weakness.

Cameron and Maxine race over to Sonny on the floor. But Sonny fights them. Daniel walks over to see what is going on.

"What is all this shouting about?" Daniel asks.

"Can you grab me a sedative, please? Sonny is having some kind of meltdown. I'm not sure what caused it." Cameron asks.

"Yeah. Sure."

A couple of minutes of Maxine and Cameron struggling to get Sonny back to his room and into his bed, Daniel finally arrives with the sedative. Cameron and Maxine hold Sonny's thigh still, as Daniel inserts the needle. It only takes a few seconds for Sonny to calm down. Daniel and Cameron put restraints on Sonny, as Maxine monitors him.

"You have to find Will," Sonny whispers, his voice shaking. "I don't know what I would do if anything happened to him."

Maxine smiles and nods her head. "Of course, Sonny. I will do my best."

* * *

An hour later, Will makes it up to the floor after his visit with EJ.

"Where have you been?" Maxine asks, worried.

"Why? Did something happen to Sonny?" Will asks, sharply.

"No, no, child," Maxine sighs. "But he was screaming for you. Nothing would calm him down. So we had to sedate and restrain him."

"WHAT?!" Will yells. "Why didn't someone call me. God, I should've never left."

Will races into Sonny's room and finds his boyfriend sleeping with arms at his side in restraints. He runs his hand along the side of his face. "Baby, I'm so sorry I left you. I should have stayed here with you."

Sonny turns his head towards Will's voice and whispers, "Will. You are alright?"

Will smiles and replies, "Yeah, baby. I'm fine. But I hear you weren't."

"I was so scared they got you," Sonny's voice trembles. Then he looks down and sees his arms are tied down and starts to panic. "What's going on? Why are these on me?"

"Shhhh. After you freaked out, they put them on."

"But why? Why are they on? Will! Get them off! Please help me, Will!" Sonny is pulling at his arms and his breathing is picking up pace.

"Babe," Will whispers, placing his hands on Sonny's chest to calm him. "You have to calm down or else they won't take them off."

"But why are they on me?" Sonny questions, unable to calm down.

"I guess they weren't sure how you would be when the sedative wore off?" Will cups Sonny's face in his hand, willing his boyfriend to look him in the eyes. "But if you don't remain calm, they won't come off."

"Ok," Sonny says, as he breathing starts to slow down. "But I want them off. Please try to get them off."

Will hits the nurses button and Maxine walks in.

"Can I help you?" Maxine asks.

"Is there any way we can get these restraints off of Sonny?" Will asks.

"Since you are here, I am sure that will be fine. Let me grab Dr. Davis. I will be right back." Maxine says and leaves the room.

A couple of minutes later she walks back in with Cameron. "Are you calm now, Sonny?"

"Yes, Dr. Davis. Now that Will is here, I am better."

"As long as he stays, I have no problem taking them off. But if you have another outburst like that…" Cameron trails off.

"I won't," Sonny promises.

"And I'm not going anywhere," Will adds.

Cameron and Maxine proceed to take the restraints off of Sonny then leave the room. Sonny sits up in bed and begins rubbing his wrists. Will reaches over and wipes the tears from Sonny's eyes.

"Do you want to tell me what happened while I was gone?" Will asks.

"I was scared that something happened to you," Sonny whispers.

"I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." Will offers Sonny his lopsided grin as reassurance. "You need to lay back down and go to sleep. And I will stay next to you all night. I promise."

"Yeah?" Sonny asks, as he lays down. Will crawls in bed with Sonny, who rests his head on Will's chest. "When I thought something happened to you…"

"I'm fine. Don't you worry. Everything is going to be ok."

"You promise?" Sonny asks, eyes brimming with tears.

"I promise. Just close your eyes and go back to sleep."

"I love you so much, Will."

"I love you, too. More than you know."

Sonny closes his eyes and Will begins to rub his back. He places a soft kiss on his boyfriends forehead and Sonny's breathing evens out.

"I will never let anything happen to you again. I promise you."

The sound of Sonny's breathing lulls Will into a fitful slumber.


	21. Chapter 21

"How are you feeling today?"

"Better," Sonny whispered. "I'm really sorry about last night."

"Hey, it's ok. You have gone through quite the ordeal."

"I guess. It's just…"

"I know. Are you ready to start our session today?"

"Yeah, Dr. Evans. But I don't know if there is anything more for me to tell you."

"Sonny, this is your time to talk about whatever it is that you feel you need to talk about."

"I know. Do you know when they will be letting me leave?"

"That I do not know. But I will talk with your doctor when we are done here."

"Ok. Thanks."

"How about we start with last night? Tell me what happened."

"I woke up from one of my nightmares. The ones I've been telling you about. And Will is always there to calm me down and hold me. I usually pretend the next day that I don't remember what happened because I don't want to burden him."

"Do you think you are a burden, Sonny?"

"Kind of. Yeah. I don't want Will to think he has to take care of me."

"And what if he wants to take care of you?"

"I don't want him to have to take care of me. I don't want to be his responsibility. I see the sadness in his eyes when he looks at me. He thinks I don't see it, but I do. And I hate that he pities me. I hate that he feels like I am broken and he has to put me back together," Sonny says, his voice rising.

"Has Will said any of those things to you?"

"No," Sonny shakes his head, looks down and whispers. "He doesn't have to say it. I see it every time I look at him."

"Have you talked to him about how you are feeling?"

"No. I'm supposed to be the strong one. The shoulder to cry on. Not him. I'm supposed to take care of Will. He's not supposed to take care of me."

"He's not supposed to take care of you?"

"No. I don't want him to see me broken down."

"You love Will, right?"

Sonny nods his head and whispers, "More than anything."

"Do you think Will loves you?"

"He has proven he has by remaining by my side."

"Sonny, do you think Will loves you?"

"Will loves that I am always there him and that I am his rock. So, how can he love me when I am no longer his rock?"

"You think this ordeal has made Will love you less?"

"I love how strong he has been for me."

"Do you think Will loves you any less now?"

"No. But can we talk about something else, please?" Sonny asks, as tears slip down his cheek.

"Of course. Would you like to tell me what happened last night?"

"Uh…I guess," Sonny lets out with a shaky breath. "As I said earlier, I had woken up from one of my nightmares. And Will has always been there to hold me, which has calmed me down. But this time he wasn't. And I was scared."

"Scared?"

"Yeah. I th…thought that maybe…" Sonny trails off with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Sonny, you thought?"

"I thought that since they didn't do their job with me then they were going to go after Will," Sonny whispers.

"Go after Will?"

"They told me if I didn't leave Salem, then Will was next," Sonny sobs. "I couldn't let them hurt Will. I won't let them hurt Will."

"Do you think Will is in danger?" Marlena asks, concerned.

"Yeah. I think he's the next target. What if they hurt Will? It will be all my fault because I couldn't protect him. I promised I would always protect."

"I see," Marlena whispers.

"Are we done yet?" Sonny asks, slightly agitated. "I don't feel like talking about this anymore."

"Yes. We can be done for today. But I will see you again tomorrow."

"Fine."

Sonny gets up along with Marlena. She walks him back to his room, where Will has been patiently waiting for his return.

"You really should talk to Will about what we discussed today," Marlena whispers in Sonny's ear as she gives him a hug. All Sonny can do is nod his head.

"And hello my darling boy," Marlena says joyfully as Will walks over to them. "How are you?"

"I'm ok. How did the session go?"

"I will let Sonny discuss that with you, if he wishes." Marlena smiles at Will and pulls him into a hug. "I am so proud of you."

Will smiles at his grandma and whispers, "When Sonny falls asleep, do you think we could talk?"

Marlena releases Will, smiles and nods her head. "I will leave you two alone. I will be back tomorrow, same time. Maybe then we will know a little more about when you leave. But for now, rest up."

After Marlena leaves the room, Sonny walks over to the bed and sits down. He pats the space next to him and Will follows Sonny's silent request.

"Will," Sonny whispers. "I think we need to talk."


	22. Chapter 22

"I don't need you worrying about me."

"How can I not?"

"You need to worry more about you. About getting better."

"Don't you get it. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you!" Sonny whispers, eyes brimming with tears.

"You have got to be kidding me, Sonny! I have lived with that fear for weeks." Will cries out. "Do you have any idea what it was like watching you lay there. Not knowing if you would ever wake up. Not knowing if I would ever see your beautiful eyes again. Not knowing if I would ever feel your touch again. Or feel your lips again."

"I'm sorry I did that to you. I never want you to feel that way again."

"Neither do I." Will whispers.

* * *

"Will, you know I can't talk to you about this."

"Please. He's my boyfriend. And I feel like he is hiding something."

"Sweetie, you have to talk to Sonny." Marlena says, grabbing Will's hand.

"Grandma, what can I do? He won't talk to me about it."

"You have to be patient with him. He will open up when he is ready."

"But what if he is never ready?"

"Will, Sonny loves you."

"I know he does. And I love him. So much."

"Then trust that. Trust that he will open up to you when he is ready."

"Has he opened up to you?"

"I can't answer that for you."

"Please. Tell me something. Do you think these sessions have helped?"

"I hope they are. But that is all I can say."

"I need to know how to help him through this. I just don't know what to do."

"You just love him. That is all you can do. And let him know that you will be with him, no matter what."

"Hasn't being next to him through everything demonstrated that?"

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"What else am I supposed to do to show Sonny that I will never leave him or stop loving him?"

"That is something you may need to figure out, sweetie. But right now, I want to know how you are handling everything."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you heard Sonny recount what happened. And you have barely left his side since everything happened. How are you doing?"

"It's been so hard. I just really don't know what to do. I have tried to stay strong for him. I have tried my best to be his rock. I just don't think I have done a very good job of it."

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. Maybe if I was a better boyfriend none of this would've happened. And he won't open up to me. Maybe I have failed him and that is why he feels that way. Maybe he doesn't trust me to be understanding enough. Maybe he thinks my love for him is conditional. He deserves someone better than me."

"I don't want to ever hear you talk like that. Do you understand me?"

Will nods his head yes. "But I can't help but doubt myself. I love Sonny so much. When he was hurt, I didn't know what to do. I always want him next to me. But what if he is beginning to change his mind. What if this whole thing is my fault?"

"Do you honestly feel like Sonny doesn't want to be with you?"

Will shrugs his shoulders and says, "I hope not. But I can feel him pulling away."

"You boys need to have an honest talk with each other. Soon."

"We had a talk earlier. But Sonny just kept saying he was worried about me. I know it has something to do with what that guy that attacked him said. But do you think there is more that he is not telling me?"

"All I know is the two of you need to talk." Marlena kisses him on the cheek and says, "But I need to go and you need to check in on your boyfriend. Don't think I haven't noticed that you keep looking at the clock."

Will smiles at his grandmother. "Thanks. I will try to keep all of this in mind."

"That's all I ask."

Marlena walks away, as Will heads back to Sonny's room. All he can think about is their conversation and that there is something Sonny is hiding. Will wants to know everything that happened. He doesn't care if it is too painful to hear. He needs to know everything to help find this guy who hurt his love. Will was not going to rest until the guy paid for what he did. He didn't want Sonny to know the lengths he was going to protect him, because he knew his boyfriend wouldn't approve. Will knows how Sonny feels about EJ. _He will thank me later. I know he will. _Will thought.

"WILLLLLLLL!"

Will hears Sonny scream his name out in agony and he races into Sonny's room.

"WILLLLL! NOOOOOOO!"


	23. Chapter 23

"WILLLLLLL!"

Will swings the door to Sonny's room open and flies to the bed. There are tears streaming down his face and he is gasping for breath.

"Baby, I'm right here," Will says, soothingly as he strokes Sonny's face. "I'm right here."

"WILLLLLL! SOMEONE SAVE HIM!"

"Baby. Sonny. Wake up." Will says as he begins to lightly shake his shoulders. "I am right here. It's just a dream."

Sonny's eyes fly open and tears cascade down his cheek. He is still gasping for breath and lets out an anguished sob. Will climbs in bed with his boyfriend and pulls his body into his own. Will begins to lightly stroke Sonny's back as he continues to let out anguished sobs.

"You're here?" Sonny whispers through sobs.

"Of course, baby. Where else would I be?"

"But. Y-you were…" Sonny trails off, whispering through his tears.

"I was what, Baby?" Will asks, confused.

Sonny just shakes his head and continues to sob. "It was so real."

"What was? What happened, Sonny?"

"I can't lose you, Will. I won't."

"Baby, I am not going anywhere. I promise you."

"I'm sorry," Sonny whispers, refusing to look Will in the eyes.

"Hey. Look at me. What are you sorry for?" Will asks, as he lifts Sonny's chin so their eyes meet.

"For having to put up with me. For dealing with all of this."

"Jackson Kiriakis. Don't even start talking like that. I love you so much. I would do anything for you. I would lay my life down for you," Will responds, sternly.

"Don't, Will."

"Babe, please talk to me. What is going on? How can I help you when you won't let me?" Will asks, anguished.

"I can't talk to you about it, Will. Don't you get that. I can't stand the thought…."

"Sonny? What? Please tell me."

"I'm starting to remember more of what happened," Sonny whispers, eyes glassy with unshed tears. "And it's not me they want. It's you."

* * *

"How do you feel about going home today?"

"Really? I can go home today?"

"Yes. But we need you to talk with a social worker first before we can release you."

"Why?"

"We just need a plan for where you are going and treatment for once you leave."

"Oh, ok. That's fine. But I can tell you now where I will be going."

"Where is that?"

"He's coming home with me," Will pipes in.

"Yeah. What he said," Sonny replies.

"I still need you to talk with them after your appointment with Dr. Evans. Now it will be up to you if you want to continue on with these appointments. But that is something you will have to discuss with her. I would greatly recommend it."

"Ok. We will discuss it."

"Dr. Evans will be by shortly to take you to your appointment, ok?"

"Yeah. That's fine. Thanks for everything, Dr. Davis."

"It's no problem, Sonny."

Cameron turns around and walks out of the room. Sonny turns around to look at Will, who has been standing behind him.

"How are you feeling right now, babe?" Will asks.

Sonny sighs and says, "I don't know. A part of me can't wait to get home and climb into our bed together. But I am also scared to leave. What if I no longer feel safe at home?"

"Babe, I think that's to be expected. But know that I won't let anything happen to you."

"But you can't promise that. Nor can you promise that nothing will happen to you."

"I don't know what you want me to say right now, Sonny."

Sonny looks down and nods his head. "There is nothing you can say. I just need to know you will be safe."

"Sonny, stop worrying about me. I am not the one that has been in the hospital for weeks. You are. You are the one that needs to stay safe. Not me."

"Will, nothing can happen to you. Promise me that nothing will happen when we leave."

Will sighs and says, "As much as I want to make that heartfelt promise, I can't. But I am working on being able to make that promise to you."

"Will," Sonny whispers. "What do you mean? Please tell me you aren't doing anything stupid."

"Sonny, you don't need to worry about it. I am doing everything I can to make sure I don't lose you. Babe, I can't go through this again. You mean too much to me."

"Will, I feel the same way. But please…"

There's a knock on the door and Dr. Evans walks in. "Are you ready Sonny?"

Sonny is looking at Will with fear in his eyes and whispers, "Please don't do anything stupid. I don't want anything to happen to you. Please, baby."

Will smiles at Sonny and kisses him on the forehead. "Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine."

Will walks out of the room after kissing his grandmother goodbye, as Sonny watches. "Yeah. I guess I am."

Sonny stands up and follows Marlena to her office, as tears silently roll down his cheek.


	24. Chapter 24

"Sonny is finally getting to come home with me today."

"Seriously? That is so exciting!" exclaimed Abby. "When will he be home?"

"He has to finish his appointment with my grandma and then I think they will be releasing him."

"I am so excited, Will! What do you have planned?"

"Actually, that is why I am here. I need your help with something."

"Oh, sounds exciting! What, dear cousin, do you need?"

Will whispers his plan for Sonny in her ear. "Now you know what you need to do, right?"

"Of course. I will let you know when everything is ready, so you can bring Sonny home to his surprise. He is going to love it, I am sure!"

* * *

"Sonny is coming home today and I need your help."

"That's awesome, man!" Chad exclaims. "What do you need from me?"

"I have Abby working on a surprise for him, which you could help with. But I have a different favor to ask."

"Ok. What is it?"

"I need you to talk with your brother and figure out some way we can make things as safe as possible for Sonny when I bring him home."

"Like what?"

"Is there any way we can enlist the DiMera security team to keep an eye on him 24/7?"

"Uh, Will. I don't know if I can do that. Why don't you talk with Victor about this?"

"I don't want Sonny's family to get involved and worry any more than they already are. Plus, I'm sure they would want us to stay at the mansion. And I know that is not what Sonny wants."

"Oh. I understand. I will talk with EJ."

"Thanks, Chad. I would owe you big time! I know Sonny doesn't really feel safe leaving the hospital. I just don't know what else I can do?"

* * *

"You get to go home today?"

"Yeah," Sonny whispers.

"Why don't you tell me how you are feeling about this?"

"I'm scared. Not only for me, but for Will."

"What scares you the most?"

"That they want to finish what they started. Or worse, go after Will."

"Do you believe Will is a target?" Marlena asks, concerned.

"Uh….yeah," Sonny whispers. "I uh. I remembered something last night."

"What is that, Sonny?"

"Will. They wanted Will."

"What do you remember exactly?"

"I could hear them talking when they first broke in. Before I was attacked. There was one guy talking and I remember thinking that his voice sounded so familiar, but I just couldn't place it."

"Do you know who that voice is?"

"I still can't figure it out," Sonny says, looking down. "I'm sorry."

"Sonny, there is nothing to be sorry for. Please continue," Marlena encourages as she places her hand gently on his knee.

"The guy said that coming after me was the best way to get to Will. That they wanted to hurt me to warn Will. And that if we didn't disappear, he would make sure that we did."

"Oh," Marlena whispers.

"And Will doesn't get it," Sonny says, tearfully. "He thinks I am just being overprotective. But I'm so scared. Nothing can happen to him, Dr. Evans."

"Sonny, have you told anyone else about this?"

"No," Sonny says and his eyes grow wide. "No one can know."

"What do you mean?"

"One of the last things I remember him saying before I was hit was that if I told anyone anything, things would only get worse. I shouldn't even be talking to you about this," Sonny explains with fear in his eyes.

"Sonny," Marlena sighs.

"Will is in danger. I just know it. I can feel it."

Sonny starts to become increasingly agitated. His breath is hitching and his eyes are darting around the room. "I need to talk to Will. Please, take me back to my room."

"Sonny, please try to stay calm."

"You don't understand. I have a really bad feeling right now. I need to see Will. Now." Sonny's voice is beginning to rise and he starts pacing.

"I will call him. Will that make you feel better?"

Sonny sighs and says, strained, "I guess."

Marlena picks up her phone to call Will.

"Grandma?"

"Hi, sweetie."

"Is everything ok? How is Sonny?"

"That is why I am calling."

"Is everything ok? Please tell me Sonny is ok!" Will exclaims.

"Will, listen to me. I am sitting with Sonny and he just wanted to make sure you are ok." Marlena says, soothingly.

"Oh," Will sighs with relief. "I am actually almost back at the hospital. Does Sonny need to talk with me?"

Marlena hands over the phone to Sonny. "Hey, babe."

"Sonny, is everything ok?"

"I just needed to hear your voice," Sonny whispers.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"It's nothing. I was just….it doesn't matter."

"No, tell me."

"I was just worried. That is all."

"I should be worrying about you, babe. Not the other way around," Will teases. "I will be back at the hospital in a couple of minutes. Will you be ok until then?"

"Yeah," Sonny whispers. "I will be fine. Just be careful, ok?"

"Can I help you?" Sonny hears Will say. "What are you doing? What the…."

"WILL?" Sonny yells. "Will, please answer me!"

There is only silence on the other end of the phone. Sonny vehemently calls Will's number over and over, only for it to go to his voicemail every time. Marlena watches Sonny in fear.

"I told you something was wrong. I told you I had a bad feeling about this. We have to find Will. I know something has happened to him," Sonny cries out.


	25. Chapter 25

**I am so sorry this took so long for me to post another chapter. Life and such kind of had me preoccupied. Sorry! This also happens to be one of my longer chapters, so I hope that makes up for my tardiness!**

**I have to apologize also for the unfortunate timing of this chapter! Hopefully it was worth the wait! **

**Thanks for sticking with me and this story! Also for the wonderful words you all have said to me about this story! I hope you continue to like it. And I love hearing all of your thoughts! :)**

* * *

Sonny is pacing around his room. He knows something is wrong. He can feel it in his gut. He won't be able to calm down until he hears his boyfriend's voice and holds him in his arms. _This can't be happening right now. I knew this would happen. Why couldn't Will just listen to me? Why did he have to try to fix things? I warned him something like this would happen, _Sonny thought. Sonny places his head in his hands and begins sobbing.

* * *

Will was on the phone trying to calm down his boyfriend. He felt like Sonny was being slightly paranoid lately. But he couldn't really blame him. It's not like it was Will who had gotten attacked. And he was trying to be supportive of Sonny, but he was also getting exasperated with constantly reaffirming that everything was ok. Will just had no clue how to be what Sonny needed and he was getting frustrated more with himself than his boyfriend. Will wanted to be able to make everything better for Sonny, but he didn't know how.

Will can hear the pain in his boyfriend's voice and all he wants is to be able to take that pain away. He feels so helpless. Will believes he should be able to do something. He has been trying to figure out something that will make Sonny feel safer, in some capacity. He just has no clue how to make that happen. He hates that he has to go to the DiMera's for help. Will knows Sonny doesn't want him involved with them at all. But it's not like he can really go to Victor. Sonny wouldn't want that. And the last thing Will wants to do is worry Sonny's family any more than they already are. Will just feels so lost and helpless, but he is doing his best to not let Sonny see his failings as a boyfriend.

Will can hear Sonny's voice in his head. _Will, please don't do this. I almost lost you last time you went to EJ for help. I don't want to go through that again. _

"I will be back at the hospital in a couple of minutes. Will you be ok until then?" Will asks.

"Yeah," Sonny whispers.

Will can hear the pain in his boyfriend's voice. It is killing him that he can't just make everything go away. Then Will feels someone tap him on the shoulder.

"Can I help you?" Will asks, annoyed as he turns around.

The guy has on a mask and grabs Will by the shirt, pushing him up against the wall.

"What are you doing? What the hell?"

The guy punches Will in the face as his phone falls to the ground. Sonny's voice is reverberating from the phone until the guy steps on it, smashing the phone in pieces.

"I warned your boyfriend to keep his mouth shut," the guy seethes. "Now it's payback time."

"Oh, my god," Will whispers, in shock. "It's you?"

* * *

Abby was on her way to the hospital to tell Will everything was set. She had tried to call his phone numerous times, to no avail. Abby assumed that his phone had died, so she figured it would just be best to go to the hospital to talk to Will and see Sonny.

"Oh my god!" Abby shrieks.

She sees Will laying in the alley. There is blood around him. She quickly pulls out her phone and calls 911, explaining what she walked up on. She hangs up the phone and kneels next to her cousin.

"Will?" Abby cries. "Who did this to you? What happened?"

Abby squeezes Will hand and she hears him groan. Abby is sobbing next to her cousin. She is holding his hand, but doesn't know what else to do. She's scared and just in complete shock. Abby can feel herself shaking from fear.

"Will? Please wake up! Sonny needs you. I need you. Who would do this to you? Who would want to hurt my precious cousins? Oh, God! Will, please be okay."

Abby can hear the sirens in the distance and she is relieved that help is almost here. A man and woman step out of the ambulance and rush over to where she and Will are.

"Can you tell me what happened?" The woman asks, as the man begins assessing Will.

"I-I uh…I don't know. I c-couldn't get a-ahold of him," Abby stutters, crying. "Th-then I fo-found him on m-my way to the hos-hospital to visit him and m-my cousin."

"Ok. Calm down," the woman says, soothingly. "Do you know how long he has been like this?"

"N-no. I-I tri….ed calling him 15 min-minutes ago. Bu-but I co-couldn't get ahold of h-him."

"It's ok. We are going to get him to the hospital. Do you want to ride along?"

Abby nods her head as tears continue to slide down her cheek. "He's go-gonna be okay, ri-right?"

The woman gives her a sad smile and whispers, "I hope so."

* * *

"Where is he? Why hasn't anyone heard from him yet?" Sonny asks.

"Sweetie, I am sure everything is okay. Try not to worry."

"Mom, you have to be kidding me? I last talked to him an hour ago. Something is wrong. I know it! Why doesn't anyone believe me?"

"Of course, we believe this is how you feel," Adrienne says, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Sonny shakes his mom's hand off of him and begins crying, "Why can't I go find him? Why won't they let me look for him? I have to find him. I can't lose him, Mom. I just can't."

Sonny crumbles to the ground, his body visibly shaking as he is overcome with sobs. Sonny's mind was full of worse case scenarios of what might have happened to his boyfriend. His biggest fear was that his last conversation with Will was going to be the last time he ever heard his boyfriend's voice again. Sonny knew he couldn't just sit around and wait. This was accomplishing absolutely nothing. He had to find his boyfriend before his worst possible fear came true. He was not going to lose his boyfriend. Sonny didn't even want to have to think about what life without Will could be like. Sonny refused to let his mind go there.

There was a knock on the door. Adrienne walked over and answered it. Marlena stepped into Sonny's hospital room. She had a grim look on her face and Sonny could tell she had been crying.

"Will?" Sonny whispered through sobs.

Marlena nods her head and says, "They found him."

"Fa-found him? H-he's okay, ri-right?" Sonny choked out.

"From what I was told, Abigail found him in the alley a couple of blocks away."

"Abby found him? Bu-but he's okay. Pl-please te-tell me he is fine."

"I'm not sure. They just brought him in."

"I have to see him," Sonny sobs.

"Do you really think that's a good idea, sweetie?" Adrienne asks.

"Of course it's a good idea. Will needs me and I need him. You have to let me see him!"

"Let me go check with your doctor and see if they are okay with it," Marlena whispers.

Sonny nods his head and tears spill down his cheek. Marlena leaves and heads to the nurse's station.

"I told you Mom," Sonny whispers through his tears. "I told you something had happened to him. What if I lose him?"

Adrienne pulls her son up from the floor and into her arms, saying soothingly, "You won't lose him. He is going to be okay. You have to believe that, baby."

"But what if he's not?" Sonny sobs. "I-I can't be without him. I love him. Will's my everything. He's my life."

"I know, baby. I know." Adrienne whispers, as tears slide down her cheek.

Marlena comes back into the room with a wheelchair. "This was the one contingency of letting you see Will. You have to go in a wheelchair."

Sonny smiles and sighs with relief. "That's ok. I just need to be with him."

Sonny sits down in the wheelchair and Adrienne pushes him out of his hospital room, following Marlena. Sonny's mind is racing, trying to mentally prepare himself for what his boyfriend may look like. He is praying everything is ok. All Sonny knows is that his boyfriend has to be alright. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to Will. Sonny knew he could not live with himself if Will wasn't okay.

"Hello, we are here to see Will Horton," Marlena speaks up.

"The doctor is in with him now. He is not allowed any visitors," the nurse replies.

"I am his grandmother and I am a doctor here. I would like to see my grandson," Marlena says, firmly.

The door swings open and Kayla steps out of the room. "Kayla, is Will in there?"

"Yeah. But we don't want him to have anymore visitors."

"Please, you have to let me see him," Sonny begs.

Kayla shakes her head and says, "I don't know if that's such a good idea right now, Sonny."

"Please! He needs me! You have to let me see my boyfriend, Dr. Brady."

The door swings open again and Abby comes running out. "Sonny! There you are!"

"Abby? What are you doing in there?" Sonny asks, confused.

"I've been with him. I found him," Abby says quietly. "He's been calling out for you."

"He's been calling for me?" Sonny asks, quietly.

He looks at Kayla and says, "Please! You have to let me see him. He needs me. Don't you see that? Will has been calling out for me! He needs me!"

Sonny's body has overcome with emotions, again. His body is shaking and tears are falling freely.

Kayla sighs, "Fine. But try not to upset him and please don't stay long."

Abby takes Sonny's shaky hand and they walk to Will's room. Abby opens the door for Sonny and points to Will. Sonny grabs onto the chair by the door to stop himself from falling. Sonny's breathing hitches and a steady flow of tears fall down his cheek. "Will? Baby? No!"


	26. Chapter 26

Will is laying in the hospital bed thinking about his boyfriend. His body is in extreme pain and he's pretty sure every part of him is bruised. But he doesn't care about that right now. All he wants is to see Sonny.

"Where is he?" Will asks his cousin.

"I don't know, Will. They told me that they spoke to your grandma, who was going to get him. But I don't know what is taking so long."

"Please you have to let me see him!" Abby and Will hear Sonny cry out.

Will looks over at his cousin with a smile on his face. Will nods his head towards the door, indicating he wants her to bring Sonny to him. Abby smiles back at her cousin and squeezes his hand. She stands up and rushes out of the room.

"Sonny! There you are!" Will hears Abby shriek.

Will finally begins to relax a bit knowing that his boyfriend is finally here. Will lays his head back as exhaustion is beginning to hit him and he waits for Abby to bring Sonny into his room. Will knows Sonny must have been freaking out about not hearing from him, although he isn't quite sure about everything that happened. Will remembers talking to his boyfriend, trying to calm him down. Then someone approaching him. The next thing he hears is Abby crying next to him while he is in the ambulance. Everything in between is still a bit fuzzy. Will is scared that Sonny has been right. That someone was after both of them.

"Baby? Will? No!" Will hears Sonny cry out as the door opens.

Will lifts his head up from his pillow and tries to smile at his boyfriend. "Hey, baby."

Will can see that Sonny looks like he is about to pass out. His face is pale and his eyes are bloodshot. Looking at him makes Will's heart break. He hates seeing his boyfriend like this. He hates seeing the mixture of fear combined with desperation in Sonny's eyes. He has seen that look far too much lately.

"Come here," Will whispers.

Sonny sighs with relief at the sight of his boyfriend. His mind is finally able to calm down and Sonny feels complete anguish at the sight of Will. He almost doesn't look like the same person. His face is so discolored from bruising. There is still some dry blood matted onto his face. But when Will smiles at him, everything else just seems to disappear. And his blues eyes still shine at him, like they always do. He realizes he has just been staring at his boyfriend, not saying anything, when Will tells him to come closer. All Sonny wants to do is take him in his arms and never let him go. But he is also so scared of inflicting any more pain on Will. Sonny takes cautious steps towards him, still feeling slightly weak from the drama of the day. It also doesn't help that he hasn't been able to eat at all today. Sonny decides to sit next to Will in the chair, he assumes was occupied by Abby.

"No, no, no," Will looks at his boyfriend and smiles, shaking his finger at him. He then pats the bed. "I want you next to me. Always."

Sonny smiles at Will, but is still feeling unsure. "Are you sure? I just don't want to hurt you."

Will's eyes get serious and his smile fades, "The only thing that could hurt me, is for you not to be near me."

Sonny sighs and smiles at his boyfriend's words. That is exactly what he needed to hear. Sonny stands up from the chair and sits on the edge of the bed. Will scoots over in the bed and reaches out his arms to his boyfriend, grunting in pain.

"Will?" Sonny asks, concerned.

Will shakes his head and says breathlessly, "It's ok. I'm fine. I just need you."

Sonny looks at him skeptically, but gives in when he looks into Will's eyes. He could never say no to him, especially when he looks Will in the eyes. He always becomes a puddle in his boyfriend's hands, but Sonny would have it no other way. He slowly lays down in the bed, then pulls Will towards him. Will moans out in pain, as he lays his head on his boyfriend's chest. Then sighs with contentment.

"Are you okay?" Sonny asks.

"Now that you are next to me, yes."

"Did they give you anything for the pain?"

"Yeah. But it hasn't really helped much."

"Do you need something? I can go get Kayla."

Sonny starts to get up, but Will grabs his arm and starts shaking his head 'no'.

"No. It's fine. She told me that she can't really give me much because they want to make sure there aren't any changes with my brain."

"Oh," Sonny whispers. "I was so scared."

"I know, babe. But I'm fine."

"Are you really, Will?" Sonny asks, skeptically.

"I will be fine. As long as you stay next to me."

Will tries to smile at Sonny, but can only grimace. Sonny begins to rub his boyfriend's back, hoping to provide some sort of relief.

"I don't know what I would have done if something happened to you…"

"But nothing did."

"Can you please stop being so cavalier about this? Things could have been so much worse," Sonny whispers.

"Don't you think I know that?" Will asks, seriously, snuggling closer to Sonny and wrapping his arms tightly around his waist.

"You're just acting like…"

"How am I acting, Sonny?" Will interrupts, quietly. "Like I just got attacked? Like all I want is my boyfriend next to me to make me feel better? To make me feel safer?"

"I'm sorry, Will. It's just that I was so scared today."

"I know you were. I could tell when I was talking to you on the phone."

"And I was right to be scared, because look at you."

"Sonny, I am fine."

"But you could've easily been killed today. And I can't be without you, baby. I just can't."

Sonny gently places a soft kiss on Will's forehead. Then Will lifts his head and looks into his boyfriend's eyes. He can see the fear showcased in his deep brown eyes.

"You have to stop thinking like that, Sonny."

"But what if the attack on you was a continuation of the attack on me. Just like I feared."

"My grandpa and Rafe along with the rest of the Salem PD are working on that."

"But what if they don't find them in time? What if something happens to you before then?"

"What if something happens to you?" Will retorts.

Will places a chaste kiss on his boyfriend's lips and lays his head back down. "I don't want to talk about this anymore, okay? I just want to focus on being in your arms. Listening to your heartbeat. That is all I want to think about right now, Sonny. I can't think about losing you because even the thought hurts too much."

Sonny can hear the quivering in Will's voice, which tears at his heart. He hates seeing his love like this. But what he hates the most is that he is the reason that Will is in the state. _All I had to do was keep quiet and none of this would have ever happened to him. This is all my fault. I couldn't protect Will from danger, all I did was send him into the crossfire. Now I have to figure out how to fix this. To make sure that nothing happens to my love again. I guess it's time to talk to Uncle Vic, _ Sonny thinks as he watches Will.

Will loves being in Sonny's arms. He never feels more safe than when he is wrapped in his boyfriend's strong arms. It is in these moments that Will knows everything will be okay. But this time is different. He isn't quite so sure anymore that everything will be okay, not after everything that has transpired as of late. And that is what scares him the most. Will isn't afraid for himself, he is afraid for Sonny. _What if I just made everything worse for him? What if they go back after Sonny? I can't let anything happen to him. They can hurt me all they want, but I can't stand to see him in pain. I just don't know what to do anymore. I can't protect the one person I can't live without. What kind of boyfriend am I? Sonny deserves someone better than me. Someone who can actually take care of him. And I fail miserably in that department_, Will thinks sadly.

Will and Sonny are laying in each others arms trying to figure out how to protect the other. Both fear for their inadequacies. Both trying to hold it all together for the other. Both trying to be the strong one, when all they want to do is breakdown. Then there is a knock on the door.

"Do you want to tell me what the hell is going on here?"

Will and Sonny lift their heads to see who just walked in. Then their eyes widen with shock.


	27. Chapter 27

"Do you want to tell me what the hell is going on here?"

Will and Sonny lift their heads to see who is storming into the room. Their eyes widen with shock.

"Mom?"

"Yes. And again I ask, what the hell is going on? I get a call from my mother telling me you're in the hospital," Sami yells.

"I should go," Sonny whispers to Will as he begins to slide out of bed.

"No," Will says through clenched teeth and grabs his arms. "You are staying right here."

"William Horton, I want some answers immediately!"

"Mom," Will sighs. "Do we have to talk about this right now? I'm really not in the mood."

Sami walks over to Will's bed and grabs the chair to sit down. Sami grabs his hand while also stroking his hair. She begins to relax and sighs,"Will, I was so scared when I got that call from Mom."

"I'm sorry, Mom," Will replies.

Sami begins to cry and whispers,"You're my baby boy. I don't know what I would do without you."

Will can see how distraught his mom is over the ordeal. And he feels bad for doing this to her. After everything she has put him through, he still loves her so much. And he knows how much she loves him, too. Even if it isn't always evident. Will knows his mom would do anything to protect him and his siblings. And that's exactly why he knows she can't get involve in what is going on. Will is sure that she would make a bad situation worse.

"Can we please talk about this later?" Will asks. "I really just want to get some sleep and Aunt Kayla said they were going to keep me overnight for observation. So, I won't be going anywhere."

Sami sighs,"Fine. But I will be back in the morning with your father and I want to know everything. Do you understand me?"

Will nods his head in agreement. Glad he was able to convince his mom to go. At least now he had time to figure out some story to tell her.

Sami kisses Will on the head and says, "Remember, first thing tomorrow. We are talking about this."

Will sighs and says, "I know."

Sami walks out of the room, quietly closing the door behind her. Will looks over at his boyfriend, who was quiet the entire time Sami was in the room. Will gives him a chaste kiss on the lips and snuggled back into his boyfriend.

"What are you going to do?" Sonny asks.

"About?"

"Your mom? And dad?"

"Nothing."

"What do you mean nothing? I think I know your mom well enough to know that she won't let this go."

"I know."

"So you are going to tell them everything that's happened and why you were attacked?"

"Babe, I am telling them nothing."

"But you just promised your mom that you would tell her everything tomorrow?"

"Yeah. So she would leave. I will figure out what to tell her tomorrow."

"Will…" Sonny sighs.

"Sonny, I don't want her getting involved."

"I understand that, Will. But…"

"But nothing. They can't know. They can't get involved," Will said sternly, giving Sonny a look telling him to drop it.

Sonny looks at his boyfriend and sighs. He knows continuing this conversation is moot because Will has already made up his mind. Sonny loves Will so much, but sometimes his stubbornness is just plain infuriating.

"Baby, can we just go to sleep?" Will whimpers. "I don't want to think about any of this right now."

"Are you feeling okay?" Sonny asks concerned, reaching out to stroke his hand through Will's hair.

Sonny forgets about their previous conversation to make sure his boyfriend is okay. He hates seeing him in all this pain and it is now written all over his face. The fact that Will is in pain is making Sonny hurt. All he wants to do is make all of Will's pain go away. To make this whole situation go away.

Will shakes his head and takes in a deep breath. "It hurts."

"Babe, why didn't you say something? Let me go get Kayla." Sonny says frantically, beginning to get out of bed.

"No," Will whispers, grabbing at Sonny then wincing in pain. "Just hold me. Please. That's all I need right now."

"But Will." Sonny says, sadly.

"Please, babe."

Sonny sighs and gives in to what Will wants. He pulls his boyfriend in tightly to his body and begins rubbing his back. Sonny can hear Will groan in pain. Then Will gently wraps his arms around Sonny's waist and nuzzled his head into his boyfriends neck, breathing him in. The pain doesn't feel as intense anymore. Being in Sonny's arms always makes everything else disappear for Will.

Sonny kisses Will's forehead and whispers, "I love you so much, Will."

"I love you, too," Will smiles. "More than you could ever know."

* * *

Will rolls over in the hospital bed, reaching out for Sonny. But he isn't there. Then the words of his attacker come flooding into his mind. He can hear the disgust and glee mixed together in his voice. _I warned your boyfriend to keep his mouth shut. Now it's payback time._

_No, this can't be happening again, _Will thinks. _He has to be okay. Nothing has happened to him. They didn't come back for him. Please tell me they didn't come back for him. I can't lose him. I just can't go through this all again. _

Will shoots up in bed, calling out for his boyfriend as tears trickle down his cheek. His breathing is rapid and his heart feels like it is about to beat out of his chest. He can feel anxiety building within. Will begins scanning the room for his boyfriend, whom he can't seem to find.

"Sonny!" Will begins shouting frantically. "Where are you?"

Will pushes himself out of bed, determined to find his boyfriend. But the minute he stands up, Will has a shooting pain that radiates through his body. And he begins to feel woozy. His world feels like its spinning and he can't stop it or slow it down. Will feels like he has no control over his body and then everything turns black.


	28. Chapter 28

**I will be taking a little hiatus from this story. I don't know how often or when I will be updating. I am apologizing in advance to those that wish for more frequent updates. But thank you so much for those who have continued to read and love or hate this story. I appreciate it more than words can say! I love you all! :)**

* * *

Sonny wakes up and sees that Will is still sleeping, so he decides to make a run to the cafeteria to grab some breakfast for them. He gently slides out of bed, removing Will's grasp on his waist. Sonny hears a groan escape Will's parted lips as he furrows his brow. Sonny stills, hoping he didn't wake up his sleeping boyfriend. After a few seconds, Will calms down. Sonny then quietly leaves his boyfriend to get some food.

Sonny decides to call his mom to make arrangements for them when they leave. He isn't feeling too comfortable about them going back to the apartment after the events that transpired over the last couple weeks. Sonny has become increasingly more worried about Will. He still can't recall who attacked him, although he has moments where he thinks he is beginning to have some clarity. Those moments are fleeting. Sonny's biggest fear right now is that someone is going to come back after Will and he refuses to let that happen. He feels like his only option to protect Will is for them to stay somewhere else for a while. A couple of weeks with a lack of privacy he can handle. Just as long as his boyfriend remains safe and unharmed.

"Hey."

"Hey, sweetie. How are you doing? How is Will? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. He's sleeping. I'm making a food run right now."

"Do you think you should be doing that? You just got released from the hospital last night. You don't want to overdo it."

"Don't worry. I'm just running down to the cafeteria."

"Ok, sweetie."

"Mom, the reason I am calling is..." Sonny begins.

"Is something wrong? Do I need to come up to the hospital?" Adrienne interrupts.

"Oh, no. It's nothing like that. I'm just worried about Will."

"Well, sweetie. I can't blame you for that. And I know how worried Will is about you."

"That's the thing. I don't know if it is such a good idea that we go back to our apartment just yet."

"Well I can't disagree with you there. Sonny, I just really don't think it is safe for you guys to be alone."

"That's what I was thinking, too. I don't want anything to happen to Will."

"I know. We did offer for you guys to stay here, but Will turned us down."

"Why would he do that?" Sonny asks confused.

"I don't know. You will have to ask him that yourself."

"If I can convince him, can we stay at the mansion for a while? I just feel like we would be safer there."

"Of course. I would feel much better if the two of you were here, too."

"Thanks, Mom. I will talk with Will and let you know what he says."

"Okay. I will have Henderson get one of the rooms ready in case you guys do stay here."

"Thanks. Can you make sure it's one on the west wing. I know Will would prefer we have some privacy."

"Of course. I know the perfect room for you two."

"Thanks again, mom. I need to head back to see Will. I will call you later."

Sonny steps off the elevator with hands full of food and coffee. He grabbed all of Will's favorites, hoping that it would make him feel a little bit better. Then Sonny sees everyone racing in the direction of Will's room. Everything in that moment stops for Sonny. He is frozen with fear. _I never should have left him. _

Sonny snaps out of his trance and drops everything that was in his hand. He races towards Will's room screaming out his name. Sonny sees all these people kneeling next to Will on the floor. All color has drained out of his face and Will is just lying there motionless. All his fears are coming true in this moment. He is losing the love of his life. The man he wants to spend the rest of his life with.

"WIIIIILLL!" Sonny screams, gutturally. Tears are falling down his face.

Sonny just knows they have gotten to him. That they are taking the one thing that means the world to him. His Will. He feels arms grab him before he collapses to the floor. They are saying something to him that he can't make out. All he sees is Will. On the floor. Surrounded by doctors and nurses.

"Why are you just sitting there?" Sonny yells out with desperation. "Do something. You have to save him."

Will blinks his eyes open and groans out his boyfriend's name. Sonny's body releases all the tension that has built up and he collapses onto the floor. He is sobbing on the ground as someone is rubbing his back. Sonny was so scared that Will was gone and now that he is awake, Sonny has no clue how to act. The last few minutes have shaken him to his core. The thought of losing Will scared Sonny and he can't quite come to grips with it all. The fear in his chest refuses to dissipate. He can't seem to stop hyperventilating. His body is trembling from the fear and anxiety that just took hold of him.

The doctor helps Will back into bed. Will still feels like everything is spinning and not quite sure why. He feels like he has been hit over the head with some heavy object. Will can see Sonny on the floor. _Sobbing? _Will is so confused and it hurts to think, so he just lays back in the bed and groans out his boyfriends name until the darkness encroaches him again.

It takes a couple of minutes before Sonny feels like he can control his emotions again. He shakily stands up and saunters over to the bed. Maxine is standing next to Will, taking his vital signs.

Maxine smiles at Sonny and asks,"Feeling better?"

Sonny smiles weakly at her and nods his head. "What happened?"

"It just looks like Will overdid himself. That is all," Maxine says, soothingly.

"Overdid it? What was he doing?"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure. We heard him yelling out your name. I came in here to see what the commotion was and I saw him as he collapsed on the floor. He must have pulled out his IV, too. Because there was blood."

The thought makes Sonny feel sick to his stomach. And he begins to blame himself. "It's my fault," he whispers.

Maxine walks over to Sonny and hugs him. "Oh, sweetie. No. It is not your fault."

"But he was looking for me. He was scared and I wasn't there. He needed me and I wasn't there."

"Sonny. You can't blame yourself. These things happen. No one is to blame."

Maxine hugs him one more time before leaving the room. "Don't worry, Sonny. He is going to be fine. And I am sure you both will feel better if he knows you are here."

Sonny nods and asks,"Do you know when he will wake up?"

"He will probably be asleep for a while. He's had too much excitement this morning. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

Sonny nods his head and climbs into bed with Will as Maxine leaves the room.

Sonny rest his head on Will's chest and listens to his heartbeat. He drapes his arm across Will's waist and pulls him towards his body. Will coos with contentment as Sonny silently cries at the thought of losing Will.

* * *

After 24 hours, Kayla gives Will the okay to go home only if he promises to take it easy for the next couple of days. Will agrees enthusiastically, but Sonny still isn't quite ready to leave the safety and security of the hospital.

"Are you sure you are ready to leave Will?"

"Yes. We haven't been able to lay together in our bed in weeks and that is all I want right now."

"Will, I don't think we should go back to our apartment yet?"

"Sonny, why not?"

"I just don't feel safe there right now. What if they come back for one of us?"

"Babe, we can't live our life in fear. We have to move forward from this."

"I know we do, but you were just attacked. I was attacked. How can you not be afraid of what could happen next?"

"Because I have you," Will replies sweetly, smiling at his boyfriend. "That is all I will ever need to feel safe."

Sonny glows with happiness at the words of his boyfriend. He loves that Will feels so safe with him. That's all he really wants. But he wishes that he could hold on to that same belief. "So I talked to my mom earlier about staying at the mansion."

"Sonny!" Will exclaims.

"Before you get mad at me, Will. Just listen to me, okay?"

"Fine." Will pouts.

"I just want to make sure we are safe before we go back to our place. And Uncle Vic can make sure we are safe while we are there."

"But what if this person is someone we already know. I just have this feeling that we know who attacked us."

"Have you remembered something more, Will?"

"No. Not really. It's just a feeling I have. And if it is someone we know, then how can Victor really protect us?"

"But his security team can protect us better than just us alone."

"I know. That is why I have been talking with Chad and EJ to try to set something like that up."

"Will," Sonny sighs. "I thought I told you to not mess with the DiMera's."

"You did. But I am doing this for you."

"Why didn't you just take my mom up on her offer to stay at the mansion? Why did you have to try to enlist the DiMera's in this?"

"I didn't want to have to worry your family any more than they already are. I wanted to show your family that I can take care of you. That we can take care of each other. And we don't need their help."

Sonny softens at Will's words. "Baby, they know you can take care of me. You do it all the time."

Will offers a weak smile at Sonny and says sadly,"I try."

"Baby, you do. And as long as you are safe, that is all I care about. And right now I think that place is the mansion."

"But I want to be alone with you. In our bed. Naked," Will whispers, teasingly.

"You know, Horton. You fight dirty."

"Well, I know what I want and need. And it has been too long since we have been alone in our bed together."

"I know. And I asked my mom to put us in a very secluded area of the house," Sonny whispers with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I love the way you think. And you know I can't ever seem to say no to you," Will smiles.

"So, I haven't lost my charm?"

"On me? Never." Will smiles at his boyfriend.

"So we can stay at the mansion until they catch these guys?"

"But what if they never find them?"

"I have complete faith that the Salem PD will be able to find them."

"I'm glad you do…" Will trails off.

"You don't? Your entire family basically works there!" Sonny exclaims.

"Exactly. So I know how many cases go unsolved."

"But this time will be different," Sonny reiterates optimistically.

"I hope so."

"So do we have a deal?"

"Two weeks. I will stay there for two weeks. But then I want to be back in our place."

"Deal. I will tell my mom you have agreed. She was already getting the room ready for us."

"Oh, so you knew you could convince me?"

"I hoped I could convince you."

Sonny leans over kisses his boyfriend with all the passion, love, lust, and angst that he has held in. This is the first real kiss that they have shared in weeks and Sonny feels like he is melting into Will. He has missed the feel of Will's lips on his. The feel of their tongues intertwining. The hands exploring one another. Being so connected that they feel like one person. Sonny breaks away from Will and he can hear him moan.

"Why did you stop?" Will whimpers.

"We have to save some of that for later," Sonny teases. "And right now we need to get ready to go home."


End file.
